C1050
"Right now?"
Even the great Karoon opened his eyes in surprise at the news that the war had already begun.
"Are we leaving immediately without any preparation?"
He let out a sigh of disbelief.
"Isn't this too hasty?"
Serena, the Leader of the Void Sword Division, raised her hand as she exhaled deeply.
"As the Central Martial Palace Master said, we haven't prepared to fight at sea."
She shook her head, saying that while they had done various trainings, they hadn't practiced swordsmanship underwater.
"I share the same concern."
Latein, the Leader of the Vanguard Sword Squadron, nodded in agreement with Serena's words.
"If we move too hastily, we could jeopardize the entire operation!"
He pursed his lips, stating that they needed time to prepare for maritime combat.
"What preparation? Nonsense!"
Balder stomped his foot, as if to say that they were talking nonsense.
"Fighting is the same on land and at sea! Why are you making such a fuss when we can just go out right away?"
He and the True Martial Palace shook their massive fists, insisting that they could leave immediately.
"You're an ignorant fool! It's completely different!"
Alice frowned as she slapped Balder on the back of the head.
"Even a master swordsman will have difficulty if they fight in water for the first time!"
She shook her head, saying that without adapting to water, they wouldn't be able to use all their skills.
"T-then what should we do..."
Balder lowered his voice, rubbing the back of his head where he had been hit.
"That's why I should go! My crew and I are perfectly adapted to the sea!"
Alice pounded her chest, declaring that she and the Blue Wind crew would participate in the war.
"..."
Denier looked at Glenn with a calm expression, as if he had known about this war beforehand.
"It's good that we're fighting the White Blood Religion, but why are you only telling us now?"
"That's right. If we had known we would be fighting the White Blood Religion, we would have trained with our lives on the line."
"The same goes for the sea. If we had known before, we would have trained to fight in water."
"If we had even a month, no, even a week of sea adaptation training..."
The swordsmen lined up on the large training ground sighed, as if they were disappointed that such crucial information had been shared so late.
"It was my directive."
As he stepped to the center of the platform, Glenn, the murmurs throughout the large training ground instantly silenced.
"There are currently spies within Zieghart. If word had gotten out that we had found the location of the White Blood Religion's headquarters, they would have fled to another location or prepared a trap to catch us instead."
He lowered his chin with gravity, saying that he had no choice but to announce the news on the day of the war due to the risk of a counterattack from the White Blood Religion.
"You don't have to worry about combat at sea."
Raon stood straight beside Glenn.
"Once the magic prepared by the Archmages is activated, you will be able to attack the White Blood Religion's headquarters as if you were on land."
Chamber and Larian nodded, urging them to trust the magic they had been preparing for over two months.
"And we, the Light Wind Palace, will take responsibility for the sea battle, so please focus on the fight ahead of you."
Raon explained that the Light Wind Palace had undergone intense training to fight at sea. The Light Wind Palace swordsmen unleashed a terrifying aura that overwhelmed all the swordsmen on the large training ground, as if reinforcing his words.
"Ugh!"
"How can these youngsters have so much power..."
"Was the Light Wind Palace always that strong?"
The swordsmen swallowed, seemingly shocked by the power of the Light Wind Palace swordsmen.
"Hmm!"
Glenn curled his lips with satisfaction at the spirit shown by Raon and the Light Wind Palace.
"Then..."
As Raon was about to continue, looking at Glenn, the Dimensional Gate open in the sky began to shake violently. Chamber, wearing a red witch's hat, and Evelyn, wrapped in a purple robe, appeared.
"What is this! Why aren't they coming even when we open the gate!"
Chamber frowned, asking why they were going so slowly.
"Oh, come on! Grandpa must have his reasons! Let's wait!"
Evelyn called Glenn 'Grandpa' even in the center of Zieghart, surrounded by numerous swordsmen.
"G-Grandpa? Did she say Grandpa?"
"What does this mean?"
"I-it can't be..."
The swordsmen who had been preparing for the war against the White Blood Religion were now staring blankly at Evelyn and Glenn.
"Ugh..."
Raon, unable to bear the embarrassment, put his hand to his forehead.
-That crazy woman is on a completely different level.
Wrath sighed as if he was exhausted.
-Neither you nor that Sword Fanatic can match her level of madness.
He shook his head, saying that Evelyn's madness was in a league of its own.
"S-shut up!"
Even Glenn seemed unable to hide his embarrassment, stumbling slightly over his words.
"Now I will announce the forces that will be deployed for the war against the White Blood Religion."
As he raised his hand, silence fell upon the bustling large training ground, and tension appeared on everyone's faces.
"The vanguard will be, of course, the Light Wind Palace, which has made the greatest contribution to this mission."
"Light Wind Palace. We receive the Head of House's order!"
At Raon's shout, all the Light Wind Palace swordsmen knelt.
"Alice Zieghart. You will participate as well. Your subordinates should be waiting outside the Dimensional Gate."
Glenn's gaze turned to Alice, who was standing on the far left.
"I'll kill them all and come back!"
Alice clenched her fist, as if telling him to expect great things.
"The Second Division, Central Martial Palace, will be responsible for protecting the family. The Third Division, Wise Martial Palace, will remain here. The Fourth Division, True Martial Palace, will be deployed with the Light Wind division."
Glenn gave instructions, looking at Karoon, Denier, and Balder in turn, as if he had already made the decision.
"...I receive your order."
Karoon accepted the order, biting his lip, knowing that someone needed to stay to protect the family. (E/N: And we wouldn't want to trust Denier or Balder with such an important task)
"Hahaha! You've chosen well! I'll tear out the throats of those Blood Demons with my own hands!"
Balder bumped his fists in front of his chest, as if telling them to expect confidently.
"I receive the Head of House's order!"
Denier bowed calmly, as if he was simply following orders without hesitation.
"Hmm..."
Raon narrowed his eyes, observing Denier's indifferent reaction.
'He doesn't say a word even in this situation?'
Unlike Karoon, who was tasked with protecting the family, Denier was given the mission to be on standby, unable to leave the large training ground. If he were a spy for the Five Demons, he would be in the worst situation, but he accepted the instructions calmly without any objection, which was disconcerting.
'Was I wrong about him?'
Seeing that reaction, Raon wondered if he had been unnecessarily suspicious of Denier.
'No, I mustn't let down my suspicions. You never know what might happen.'
Raon placed his hand on the hilt of the Heavenly Drive to refocus his mind. As the most familiar sensation spread from his fingertips, his heart felt lighter.
"The Heavenly Sword Division will remain here. The Void Sword division and the Vanguard Sword Squadron will support the Light Wind Palace from behind. The String Orchestra and the Central Music Squadron..."
Glenn assigned tasks to each of the forces lined up on the large training ground, examining them one by one.
"...Lastly, I will also remain here on standby."
He lowered his gaze, saying that he would stay in Zieghart. The swordsmen nodded, understanding why Glenn had to remain at the family compound.
"Then, I leave it to you."
Glenn stepped back and nodded towards Chamber.
"Old man, there's no need for so many formalities!"
Chamber smiled and raised his hand, causing the Dimensional Gates to descend in front of the swordsmen who were about to leave.
"Think of it as if you're passing through the door of your own house and pass through with comfort."
He tilted his chin, saying that they would reach their destination the moment they crossed the Dimensional Gate.
"We will..."
Glenn lifted his tense jaw as he looked at the swordsmen standing in front of the Dimensional Gates.
"...be waiting for you here."
His words of waiting, without telling them not to die or to fight and win, resonated deeper in their hearts than any encouragement or advice could have done.
"Yes!"
"We'll definitely be back!"
"Please wait for us!"
It seemed that he wasn't the only one moved; all the swordsmen looked at Glenn with eyes filled with emotion.
"Deploy!"
With Raon's rough shout, the Zieghart swordsmen entered the blue Dimensional Gates with lighter steps.
"We'll be back."
Raon bowed to the smiling Glenn before entering the Dimensional Gate for the last time. Chamber must have improved the teleportation magic again, because the moment they blinked after entering the blue dimension, a new landscape unfolded before them.
The sound of blue waves crashing could be heard. A familiar beach. It was the coast where he had been diving every night to find the White Blood Religion's headquarters.
They had reached their destination before they could even take a proper breath.
"Wow..."
"I-is this so fast?"
"Is this a different magic than the Dimensional Gate? Impressive..."
The swordsmen seemed to have experienced the same sensation as well, looking around and letting out gasps of surprise.
"Prepare for battle."
After instructing the swordsmen to prepare for combat, Raon walked towards the front of the beach. Hundreds of mages were on the sandy beach, carefully drawing three different magic circles.
"Oh, you're here...?"
Larian, who was personally inspecting the central magic circle, waved a trembling hand towards him. Judging by his lifeless eyes, he seemed to be in his solitary mage state.
"Is it safe to operate magic here?"
Raon frowned as he looked at the sea with its rough, crashing waves.
"H-here..."
"Don't worry. We've meticulously installed barriers to conceal our presence and mana."
As Larian was about to speak, Evelyn approached from behind and answered instead.
"Really?"
She smiled brightly as she hugged Larian from behind. It seemed they had grown closer while researching magic together for two months.
"Uh? Uhhh!"
Larian nodded with a deathly pale face. He might have been mistaken. It seemed that the closeness was only in Evelyn's mind.
"It's fine for now, but they'll immediately notice once we activate our magic."
Chamber licked his lips, saying that the Leader of the White Blood Religion and the Blood Demons weren't fools.
"So we only have one chance. We absolutely cannot make a mistake."
He exhaled heavily, saying that they needed to activate the three spells while the Leader of the White Blood Religion was off guard.
"So the three of you are in charge of one spell each, I see."
Raon nodded, noticing that the centers of the three magic circles were empty.
"That's right. Only those at the Transcendence level can draw magic over the head of the leader of the White Blood Religion hidden in the invisible sea."
Evelyn smiled, saying that she, Chamber, and Larian had no choice but to be in the center of the magic circles.
"By the way, where is King Lecross?"
Those who were supposed to face the Leader of the White Blood Religion today were the Silent Sword Master and the Magic Tower Master. Chamber had to step back after summoning the White Blood Religion to manage the teleportation magic, but Raon was confused as he couldn't see Lecross or the Owen knights.
"They'll be a little late. They have some preparations to make."
Chamber waved his hand, as if to tell him not to worry.
"Now, we need to confirm the location of the White Blood Religion's headquarters one last time. Can you do it?"
He looked at him, saying that they needed a final check before operating the magic.
"Understood."
Raon nodded and put his hand in the sea. As he spread a very faint mana, a sea spirit jumped out of the surface.
"Kyaung!"
The sea spirit wagged its tail vigorously and rubbed its head against his hand, as if it had been a year since they last saw each other, even though it had only been a week.
"Is this the spirit you saved?"
Chamber patted the sea spirit's back, as if he found it cute.
"A-a spirit! Sea spirits are extremely rare!"
Larian's eyes reddened with research enthusiasm as he scanned the sea spirit from head to toe.
"Is the white city we saw still in the same place?"
"Kyaong!"
The sea spirit responded affirmatively, bumping his head against Raon's forehead. Along with a cool sensation as if he had entered the sea, the image of the White Blood Religion's headquarters still submerged in the same place he had seen a week ago flashed in his mind.
"Yes. It's still at the coordinates I mentioned."
Raon nodded, saying that the White Blood Religion's location hadn't changed.
"Good. There's nothing standing in our way."
Chamber clapped as if to say it was time to begin.
"Prepare yourselves!"
As they heard his shout, the eyes of the mages standing in the magic circles changed. Even the Zieghart swordsmen swallowed their saliva at the desperate aura filled with determination to succeed in the magic at all costs. Chamber opened a blue window facing the sea, showing a real-time view of the distant ocean.
It seemed to be the airspace over the sea where the White Blood Religion's headquarters was submerged.
"Evelyn!"
Chamber nodded to Evelyn, who had been taking deep breaths while looking only at Raon.
"You start. Don't make any mistakes."
"I know."
Evelyn waved her hand as if to tell him not to worry and stood in the center of the first magic circle.
"Watch carefully."
She winked and clasped her hands together. Her mana burst as if it was going crazy, seeping into the circular magic circle and causing a massive purple wave.
"I did it!"
Hearing Evelyn's words and looking at the screen Chamber had opened, they saw a huge jug the size of a city falling onto the blue sea.
"Larian!"
Chamber extended his hand towards Larian, as if telling him to start immediately.
"I know!"
Larian took off the robe that covered his entire body and formed a magic formula with both hands. His personality seemed to have changed from a solitary mage to the Magic Tower Master in an instant.
"Come on, all of you!"
With his furious shout, the Magic Tower mages who made up the second magic circle closed their eyes and began chanting spells. As Larian poured mana over the magic formulas formed by the mages, a massive hexagram magic circle unfolded next to the sea where the jug had fallen.
Its size was also majestic enough to encompass an entire city and more.
"Now we just have to wait."
Chamber clasped his hands after confirming the success of Evelyn and Larian's magic.
"For the octopus to enter the trap."
He bit his lip deeply and drew a chilling smile.
***
"Mana? No, is it magic?"
The 10th Apostle raised his head, feeling the massive wave of mana that had erupted over the headquarters.
"Who on earth..."
He trembled his eyeballs, unable to comprehend the sudden situation.
"It's not magic directed at us. Something massive is falling to our right."
The 12th Apostle frowned with his eyes closed.
"No, that's not all. Some unknown magic is also descending upon our heads."
He curled his lips upwards, saying that it seemed to be an attack.
"Your words were true."
The Leader of the White Blood Religion lowered her pipe and exhaled smoke.
"It seems our location has been discovered, just as you thought."
She turned to look at the 10th Apostle, muttering that he was reliable.
"Hmm..."
The 12th Apostle looked at the 10th Apostle and the Leader of the White Blood Religion with lowered eyebrows, as if he was displeased.
"I apologize. I should have confirmed more thoroughly..."
The 10th Apostle bowed his head apologetically, despite receiving praise.
"I will prepare countermeasures as quickly as possible."
"It's okay. We've already prepared."
The Leader of the White Blood Religion drew a slight smile as she looked at the approaching magic circle.
"I've strengthened the mana resistance of the mist spread outside the headquarters, and the headquarters' own barrier is holding up properly. There won't be any problems even if 9th-class magic falls consecutively. Also..."
She turned her pipe to knock out the ashes.
"Attack magic or aura doesn't work on the Kraken that supports us. There's nothing to worry about."
The Leader of the White Blood Religion said that she had strengthened all the defensive spells the moment she felt external mana, and she put the pipe back in her mouth.
"Still, there's no need to stay in a place where our location has been discovered. Tell the First Apostle to move the Kraken and return to the deep sea."
She sneered, saying that all the preparations made by the Five Kings would be in vain.
"Understood."
As the 10th and 12th Apostles nodded and were about to go to the First Apostle, it happened.
A massive sound echoed as something enormous fell next to the White Blood Religion's headquarters, causing the entire sea to tremble.
"A jug...?"
The Leader of the White Blood Religion opened her eyes as she saw a jug almost as large as the headquarters.
'Why a jug?'
She let out an exclamation, thinking that it might be equipment capable of physical attacks, but not expecting them to simply drop a large jug.
'Wait...'
The Leader of the White Blood Religion urgently raised her gaze to examine the magic circle that was slowly descending.
'That's not attack magic.'
If it had been attack magic, it should have already been erased by the mist, but this magic circle was smoothly passing through the mist as if it did no harm, enveloping the headquarters and the Kraken beneath it.
"What is this..."
The Leader of the White Blood Religion swallowed as she looked at the intricately woven magic formula, as if it had been knitted. She couldn't tell what kind of magic it was, but a chilling unease approached her from her spine.
"Move the Kraken! Right now!"
She shouted to move the Kraken and retreat, leaving everything else aside.
"Yes! I'll tell the First Apostle immediately..."
"No! I'll do it myself!"
Just as the Leader of the White Blood Religion was about to run to the control room where the First Apostle was staying, it happened.
Although the order shouldn't have arrived yet, the Kraken started to rise on its own and move towards the jug that had fallen to the right.
"What! Who just gave orders to the Kraken!"
The Leader of the White Blood Religion gritted her teeth and stomped her foot, but of course, no one knew. The Kraken began to push its long, massive tentacles towards the jug, not caring if the White Blood Religion's headquarters tilted or collapsed.
"The jug...?"
"Why the jug suddenly!"
The 10th and 12th Apostles also trembled their jaws, shocked by the Kraken's sudden action.
"Aaargh!"
"The buildings are collapsing!"
"Save me!"
The lower-ranked Blood Demons were crushed or squashed to death by the buildings in a situation similar to a violent earthquake.
"L-Leader!"
The First Apostle came out of the control room, exhaling harsh breaths.
"The Kraken has broken free from control! It's moving on its own even after injecting your blood, Leader!"
He trembled his jaw, saying that the Kraken wasn't listening to orders.
"Ha..."
The Leader of the White Blood Religion lowered her trembling eyes to look at the magic circle enveloping the headquarters and the Kraken.
'Could it be magic that strengthens instincts?'
Octopuses, being cephalopods, have the instinct to insert their bodies into round objects. The Kraken supporting the headquarters was an ancient monster with instincts several times stronger than modern krakens. Thanks to that, they had comfortably used camouflage, but she never imagined it would be exploited in this way.
"Release the spells placed around the headquarters immediately and open a Dimensional Gate!"
They couldn't open a Dimensional Gate immediately because they had strengthened the mist defenses to protect the headquarters from magic just moments ago. As the Leader of the White Blood Religion gave instructions to the apostles, the Kraken had already inserted its eight tentacles into the jug.
"I'll kill the Kraken myself!"
Just as she gritted her teeth and was about to go out to sea, countless magic formulas erupted over the jug where the Kraken had entered, emitting a blue light.
"Damn it!"
The Leader of the White Blood Religion bit her lip until it bled as she saw the jug flickering with Chamber's distinctive blue mana.
"We've been tricked..."
***
With a massive blue light flickering, a huge jug and the white city on top fell onto the beach. The ground trembled as it fell with tremendous weight.
"Connect!!"
At Larian's shout, the mages operating the first and second magic circles chanted new spells and touched the ground. Chains of various colors sprouted from the small magic circles drawn by the mages and enveloped the White Blood Religion's headquarters.
The jug that had contained the Kraken shattered, and the White Blood Religion's headquarters began to be dragged towards the beach by hundreds of chains.
"Combine!"
As Evelyn formed a magic formula with four fingers, a purple radiation fell, connecting the chains summoned by the mages to create five bridges connecting the beach and the White Blood Religion's headquarters. Evelyn turned to look at Raon, snapping her fingers. She curled her red lips upwards as if her task was complete.
"White Blood Religion summoning complete!"
-
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