C515
The White Night Tower
The White Night Tower, which always emitted a soft light even in the midst of the gloomy desert, lost its mana and looked miserable due to the Sota Desert catastrophe.
Three elderly figures and a dragon that had transformed into a human stood on a rooftop with a massive hole.
Kelliark, Octavia, Hedo, and Kadun sat on chairs created by Kelliark's mana, gazing at the Sota Desert.
Traces of the battle still lingered in the desert.
The underground shipyard had exploded, causing the entire center of the desert to collapse, forming a horrifying and gigantic pit.
The blowing sand carried sparks and heat, permeating the air.
The fire and lightning erupting like tumors all over the desert showed no signs of ending despite being suppressed for several days.
The remains of dead dragons and destroyed battleships filled the surroundings.
Twelve dragons died, 43 battleships were destroyed, and eight Spectres and more than 250 magicians perished.
Additionally, some battleship blueprints and parts of the "machinery" were stolen.
"This is the first time our clan has suffered such a blow since the Holy Kingdom Protection War 500 years ago."
Kelliark spoke calmly, eliciting a snort from Kadun.
"I couldn't even compare this to that time."
Although he spoke as if it were a trivial matter, Kadun was the most disturbed among them.
The Duke of the Demon World family has reappeared, and Murakan seems to have regained a considerable amount of his former strength.
These two factors troubled Kadun.
He felt as if the nightmares of the past were coming back to life.
Of course, Murakan had only recovered about half of the strength he had in his prime, but those who heard Hedo's report had the misconception that he had fully recovered.
The misunderstanding about Murakan's battle prowess, stemming from the Black King incident, continued to grow.
"The Runcandels escaped successfully even when you were present, Hedo-nim. It seems Kadun is not afraid of Murakan for no reason."
"No, I never said I was afraid."
"You said that with your own mouth last time. It was right after the Black King incident."
"Do you have to talk about that in front of others?"
"...It wasn't just the Runcandels and Murakan; Kinzelo and his demons were a problem too. Based on the circumstances, it seems a demon named Bianca Kaligo injured Hedo-nim."
Kelliark and Kadun nodded at Octavia's additional explanation.
Unlike the demon Ainas Kaligo, Bianca Kaligo showed battle prowess at the level of a first-level superhuman. The damage was limited to this extent thanks to Hedo-nim.
"That's right. If Hedo hadn't been there, this tower would have disappeared without a trace, Kelliark. And your daughter would be dead or captured for experiments or imprisoned."
"Her decision to evacuate all forces from the Magic Tower in advance was excellent. It would have been a massacre if everyone had been there. Because of that, my subordinates seem to have incurred Hedo-nim's hatred a bit..."
"Kelliark, your daughter sometimes makes exceptional judgments with a strange intuition. That's the only thing Sandra has in common with you."
Hedo remained silent, fixing his gaze on the distant desert again.
He had started telling lies he had never said in his life since he began serving Sandra, but this was the first time it was about something so serious.
"If there's something you desire, please tell me, Hedo-nim."
"As long as you don't hold me responsible for not protecting the chamber, it's enough."
"That's not your fault, Hedo-nim. Stop avoiding it and speak."
"...If you could grant me a few days off, I would appreciate it. Including the miss."
Kelliark smiled.
Hedo felt uncomfortable under his penetrating gaze that seemed to see through everything.
"Very well, take a ten-day break. You can leave immediately."
"Then I'll see you upon my return, patriarch."
Hedo immediately left when Kelliark finished speaking.
Mainly because constantly telling lies was becoming unbearable, but the rest of the group admired his dignified departure.
"I like Hedo-nim's confident demeanor."
"That human is undoubtedly Zipple's treasure, Kelliark. You should hold onto him tightly so he doesn't change his mind."
"Yes, that's true. By the way..."
Kelliark's gaze shifted between the Romin Forest and the central border.
After the battle, the place where Joshua executed the Volcano remained inaccessible to recovery personnel.
"That power was undoubtedly Chaos, right? Octavia."
"Yes, patriarch."
"Runcandel and Chaos... both the infiltration tunnel and the power he showed at the end make it clear. The Prophet of Calamity is with Runcandel."
The Prophet of Calamity.
Since Solderet disappeared, Zipple had been constantly tracking her.
As far as Zipple knew, the last time Solderet communicated with humans was with her former patriarch, Riol Zipple.
After that, there were her Contractors, but there was no record of Solderet communicating with them.
So, Zipple had assumed that Solderet had lost her power or sealed herself to avoid fulfilling the oath.
That was until Jin appeared, and evidence surfaced that the Prophet of Calamity was with Runcandel.
"And the fact that Joshua Runcandel openly used the Prophet's power indicates that Cyron has entered the territory of the five kings."
"Yes, patriarch. Cyron Runcandel would never have allowed the use of that unstable power. Still, it's surprising. He must have known about the existence of the Prophet, yet he tolerated it until now. I wonder if he thought there was no other way."
"No, it's not that. That monster is not such a weak human as to rely on something other than himself."
"Then why...?"
"Well, maybe he was looking forward to seeing his children and relatives surpass even the prophecy of calamity through Runcandel's values and fight."
"He probably didn't know when his time would run out, and once we regain our former power, Runcandel is destined to perish. Why would he make such a choice? I'm sure he had some expectations of the prophecy."
"He's different from us. He's old-fashioned."
Suddenly, Kelliark's appearance began to rejuvenate.
The wrinkled face and rough hands became smooth, and the disheveled hair regained its shine.
No one could recognize that it was Kelliark Zipple, who instantly took on the face of a playful child.
"Anyway, we can't start a total war just based on the suspicion that Cyron has entered the territory of the Five Kings of the Black Sea. Moreover, the enemy's capabilities exceed our expectations, considering what has just been confirmed in this incident."
Runcandel and Kinzelo.
Through this incident, Zipple was able to reaffirm their strength.
The Prophet of Calamity, Demon Dragons, the power of the Demon World Duke family, and more.
Even that might not be everything.
"It seems that the price of arrogance gained by dominating the world for a thousand years is a bit painful. We intentionally lured them to confirm their power, yet we suffered the most significant damage."
"Hmph, do you see that? I told them time and again that it wasn't the time to calmly look at crystal balls that show nothing. They have the blueprints and the machine, so those guys will become even stronger."
"Therefore, I have to be a bit more cautious from now on. I have to speed up all my plans."
The completion of the Demon God Orb, the confirmation of Cyron's entry into the territory of the Five Kings of the Black Sea, efforts to confirm and reinterpret the exact content of Runcandel's prophecy, the restoration of the ancient civilization, understanding Solderet's true intentions, tracking Temar's tomb, and much more.
To accelerate and accomplish all these tasks, one person was indispensable.
"I will allocate more manpower and resources to find the last survivor of Histor."
"Do we have that manpower available right now? When are you going to recover all that?"
"You'd better try harder to find it yourself, Kadun."
"Ah, this is so frustrating!"
"I also need to move a bit..."
"Really!? You're not going to waste time looking at crystal balls again?"
"Yes."
Valeria Histor.
She was the key to all major factions.
The key to victory, the key to delaying defeat, the key to gaining new opportunities.
"Perhaps I'll have to sit back at the negotiating table with Rosa Runcandel. If we meet again because of Histor, the deal will be much more disadvantageous than last time."
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Kinzelo's Headquarters.
Most high-ranking executives, including Bishkel and Berakt, alternately looked at the tightly closed door of the leader's room and the Grenille battleship anchored in the rear.
Since the incident at Sword Emperor Castle, the Leader had never fully awakened.
However, this time, Zephyrin and the Grenille battleship again used their power, and the leader's condition continued to deteriorate.
Thud~
The partly destroyed Grenille fell even when standing and seemed to scream in agony.
This further complicated the executives' feelings.
"So, Vice Leader! You used me as bait very appropriately. I've never seen such a cunning human."
"Hahaha, although Bishkel-nim seems ruthless, she's actually a very nice person. She always invites me to sweet potato croquettes."
"Wow, this tastes good. I should ask for this every day too. Anyway, if the Vice Leader hadn't devised a plan to use me as bait there, I would probably have been captured. Those humans are stronger than you think... ugh. Still, they're nothing more than ephemeral bugs compared to my elder sister."
"Let's toast to Bishkel-nim!"
"Very well, Bouvard! Let's toast to sweet potato croquettes!"
Only two people, Bouvard and Ainas, spoke enthusiastically.
Ainas was unaware that she had never been used as bait, and Bishkel had simply refrained from using the battleship's power out of fear of wasting it to save her.
It was true that, in the end, she saved Ainas.
The Grenille battleship and Bianca followed Zephyrin's signal, and while Zipple pursued them, Joshua executed the volcano, and Ainas was quickly forgotten by everyone on the battlefield.
Bishkel's real hair fell out when she heard Bouvard and Ainas laughing heartily.
Seeing a handful of hair in the palm of her hand, it was difficult to suppress the urge to immediately slit their throats.
"Stop tormenting the poor vice leader, demons."
Zephyrin grabbed Bouvard and Ainas by the hair.
"That's right, as good as my older brother may be, everything has to be in moderation. Besides, the Leader is lying there not only because of this incident but also to heal Bouvard-nim. Shouldn't we be a little quiet today?"
Even Margiella stood by Zephyrin and spoke.
"I think you two should go there and sit in a corner. It was frustrating enough that Jin Runcandel mocked me over and over again, and on top of that, Joshua Runcandel, whom I should have taken as a hostage, self-exploded... Understand? My mood is very, very bad."
In the face of Zephyrin's words, Bouvard and Ainas seemed to break out in a cold sweat and disappeared with hesitant steps.
"Uh... I'm sorry, Grand Duke. My younger sister... is still kind."
"I understand, I understand, Princess Bianca."
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry."
Bianca repeatedly bowed her head instead of Ainas and disappeared, following her younger sister.
Zephyrin sighed deeply, reflecting on whether they were really the ones who would carry the future of the Demons.
"What are you going to do now, Zephyrin-nim?" asked Margiella, and Zephyrin clenched his teeth.
"I guess I have to negotiate with Jin Runcandel. If he plays with me again this time, I'll do whatever it takes to kill that brat..."
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