Chapter 872

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On January 2nd, 1804, the new year began and one day had passed.

It was a new year with more articles pouring in than ever before. The dimensional fractures of the True Demon World, the responses of various factions to it, the Golden Ship's storm ship of the Vamel alliance, and the battle between Ayula and Zito.

[T/L: Storm ship is the name of the first Golden ship as it is operated by Peitel.]

Those protected by the Vamel alliance rejoiced at the start of the war and about their actions.

It was undoubtedly a happy occasion, yet the enthusiasm was also an attempt to shake off anxiety. In the first battles fought across various regions, the Vamel alliance achieved victories everywhere, but the war with the True Demon World had only just begun.

Until the complete annihilation or submission of the True Demon World, and until the final war involving powerful factions like Runcandel and Zipfel came to an end, the citizens were left with a constant sense of anxiety.

However, those under the protection of the Vamel alliance held a relatively greater sense of hope compared to civilians in other regions.

After concluding the battle against Zito, Ayula left a message for Jin, entrusting the aftermath to him.

-[The reason Zito has retreated for now is due to the presence of Jin Runcandel and Murakan here. I trust them to handle the situation. With my power, I have inflicted irreversible damage upon the leader of the True Demon World, Zito. Jin Runcandel will surely kill him and liberate the human world from the True Demon World.]

These were Ayula's parting words before leaving. The content was spread worldwide by all the reporters present at the scene.

"I've never imagined in my life of over three thousand years that Ayula will be pushed to such an extent. That mad lunatic Zito, really turned out to be much crazier than expected."

"His frivolous and base behavior is the symbol of an immortal Zito. Simple suffering, pleasure derived from it. Zito is an embodiment of that. That's why there's no possibility of compromise or negotiation with him."

Compared to other transcendent beings Jin and his companions had encountered until now, Zito was a fundamentally different existence in various ways.

He didn't carry any weight, nor did he flaunt his own powers. His personality was more suited to a back alley junkie than a transcendent being.

Still, Zito was a more dangerous entity than any other transcendent being. For him, everything in the world—emotions, events—except pain and pleasure, was worthless, and hence, any form of compromise was impossible.

"Well, it's worrisome whether Ayula is really all right. That Zito guy seemed to have drained a lot of Ayula's energy."

"Murakan, it's unusual for you to worry about someone else for once. Although I haven't met her personally, if she said she's fine, then she probably is. Of course, it will take quite some time for her to regain the lost power."

Ayula's powers were not only depleted by the battle with Zito. Since she had cast the barrier across the entire Holy kingdom, Ayula had already been in a state of exhausting her powers.

However, the barrier, unless completely destroyed, would remain intact for thousands of years to come.

"Ms. Ameris, practically speaking, Ayula has lost her position as the highest-ranked god now, hasn't she?"

"That might vary depending on how humans perceive the existence of immortals. The barrier she created could be said to be part of her body. Therefore, those humans in the Holy kingdom who received Ayula's grace might feel closer to her. It is indeed the case. And the amplified faith through that will eventually elevate her once again to the highest-ranked immortal."

"That's a relief...though my heart still feels a bit uneasy. After all, the dying Ayula personally gave the pendant to us and even bestowed a blessing."

The pendant of the dormant volcano that Lani had told Jin and Murakan to wear out of courtesy.

Just before concluding the communication, Ayula bestows blessings upon two necklaces.

"In a crucial moment, its blessing will protect the weakest among you. That's how she explained it, right?"

"That's correct. Because she was exhausted, she couldn't explain it in more detail and disappeared. Well, the weakest among us... So these necklaces are meant to be carried by weak individuals. Let me see, who would be suitable? One person immediately comes to mind. Hey, Jet!"

"Yes, Lord Murakan!"

"Have one of them."

"Haha, Lord Murakan. Although I work as an information agent, I've received quite a bit of training... Ouch!"

Without warning, Murakan delivered a punch that sent Jet flying. Jet managed to lift his arms to block the attack, but he felt pain as if his arm was breaking.

Subsequently, even before Jet could speak, Murakan swiftly delivered punches to the other companions who had gathered in the conference room. None of them got hit.

"You should probably accept, right?"

"Oh dear, of course. It was just something I tried to say because it's too much for someone like me to possess such a magnificent god's blessing..."

"Accept it. It's true that it is quite a remarkable item, Jet, but when you think about it, you've contributed quite a bit since becoming a part of our family. If you suddenly get killed by demons or something, it'll make us uncomfortable."

Jet couldn't help but be moved. He looked at Murakan with an expression that almost seemed like he was about to cry, and Murakan waved his hand as if he was embarrassed.

"All right! I'll use it well. I'll carry it while taking good care of it."

"Jet."

"Yes, my lord!"

"As for the remaining one, send it to Dr. Qwaul."

"Oh, right. One of them must be with Qwaul. If something happens to him, it could lead to a collapse of the entire alliance's technology."

Jet and Qwaul were the two individuals chosen to possess Ayula's blessing necklaces. For some reason, Jin was enveloped by the intuition that these necklaces would be crucial at decisive moments for both of them and the entire Vamel alliance.

After Jet left, everyone focused their attention on the world map spread out on the table.

The map displayed the confirmed strongholds of the True Demon World up to the present.

"A total of 79 transfer points... Of those, more than 80% are located at sea."

The boundaries of each faction's territorial waters and neutral waters.

Most of the fortresses and cities of the transferred True Demon World were formed there. The territories of the Vamel alliance and the Lutero Magic Federation were preventing each faction from defending against these transfer points.

About 20% of the transfer cities located within the territories of each faction posed the primary issues that needed to be addressed.

The transfer points formed within the territories of each faction boasted much larger scales than the maritime cities. The size of these points was comparable to that of the major cities of humans, and the concentrated forces within them were estimated to be considerable.

"The True Demon World fortress formed in the Schutzeron Kingdom was completely cleared by the storm ship last night. Only the commander and about five officers managed to escape to other strongholds."

"The Seven-Colored Peacock and the Imperial Investigation Unit are currently examining the interiors of the True Demon World fortresses. We may receive a report about that today."

The Schutzeron Kingdom's fortress, which was struck by the storm ship, was the smallest in scale among the transferred cities formed inland. However, Jin had no intention of continuously using the storm ship for inland clearing.

"The primary role of the storm ship should be to act as a defensive wall. If we use the storm ship for inland clearing, the True Demon World in the maritime areas will take advantage of that opening to infiltrate the mainland."

[T/L: 방벽 - barricade/ defensive wall.]

Naturally, rumors about the power of the storm ship had already spread throughout the True Demon World. Several high-ranking demons had already been taken down. The True Demon World classified the storm ship as similar in scale to the ancient aerial fortresses that had once shaken the skies.

"That's true, Jin. The moment their main force enters the mainland, the alliance will have no choice but to focus on defense. Furthermore, since we have to protect civilians and our territory while fighting, we'll inevitably be at a disadvantage."

"Yes. We should set up a defensive wall across the entire maritime area of the True Demon World centered around the storm ship, and the remaining forces should directly suppress the inland. Bale and Dame Amela, please coordinate with the Golden Ship to determine the necessary resources and troops for the defensive wall. Those suited for mobility and mass destruction capabilities will primarily be allocated to the defensive wall."

"Understood."

"Sure thing."

"Thanks to Lady Ayula, there won't be any immediate confrontations with Zito. But for them to break through our defensive wall, they would need to send their strongest personnel."

However, if the strongest personnel of the True Demon World were absent for breaking the defensive wall, it would be an opportunity for the alliance to initiate surprise infiltrations.

Hence, the True Demon World was also not fighting with advantage. The True Demon World hadn't entirely transferred to the surface to begin with, and Zito, with his overwhelming power, was in a situation where he couldn't reappear.

"When all the inland True Demon World strongholds are suppressed, it would create a situation where we can exert pressure on the True Demon World. Of course, for that to happen, our speed of suppressing them inland must be faster than their speed of transferring their strongholds to the mainland."

Although the large-scale transition had ended, the transition itself wasn't yet complete. Even now, each faction was receiving real-time reports about the formation of transition fractures in the mainland.

In the end, the most favorable time for them to launch an ideal attack would be when the alliance is fully engaged in clearing the mainland. Since the entire strength of the True Demon World wasn't known yet, there might come a situation where we would even have to return the Golden Ship to the inland.

"Before that happens, we need to either completely suppress inland transfer points or be able to mass-produce the Golden Ship... Those are the best scenarios we can hope for."

"That's correct."

Soon, Jin pointed to one of the fractures marked on the map above the Schutzeron Kingdom.

"Firstly, this is the area that needs to be cleared. Sir Tuben and Sir Heijin, along with the clan's enforcement knights, will be deployed here."

Next was the southern region of Delki.

"For the relatively smaller southern Delki, elder sisters Mary and elder brother Haytona and elder brother Daytona will lead the forces. Elder sister Luna and elder sister Luntia will each head to the fractures formed in the central and southern parts of the Empire."

Those whose names were called nodded. Jin then assigned the areas to be cleared to other superhumans within the alliance, including Hedo.

Fortunately, the number of superhumans wasn't significantly fewer than the number of True Demon World strongholds formed within the alliance's inland. Soon, when they headed to their designated mission areas, battles would start simultaneously.

"Victory is important, but what's even more crucial is survival. Each commander must not risk their lives for immediate victory. If you're being pushed back, immediately retreat and request support. Even if you lose in one area and retreat, everyone needs to survive for us to achieve overall victory."

Everyone agreed.

"By the way kid, why didn't you and I get assigned to the inland?"

When Murakan asked, Jin grinned mischievously.

"You and I are going to the maritime areas to see firsthand what kind of people dare to invade the human world. Get ready, we are leaving."

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