章節 292: Chapter 451
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The ones that came from Vermont were the earth dragons, Labus and Untiel, along with the mages associated with them.
The ones that came from Zipfel were the Fire Dragon Theo, Blue Dragon Laramaqua, and their mages under them.
In total, there were four dragons and eight mages, all of them gazing with their eyes wide open at the sky tainted with shadow force and the crumbling Black King Mountain Hideout.
In particular, all four dragons had experienced the prime of Murakan.
The mages felt the accelerated heartbeat of the dragons as it transmitted from the backs of the dragons they were each riding.
'Are the dragons... feeling fear?'
'This is unprecedented. Is it okay!'
An extreme sense of tension.
The dragons were hardened, so it left the mages with no other option but to share the same anxiety.
The battle prowess of the 12th flagbearer of Runcandel and his guardian dragon being formidable were well-known to the public due to incidents such as the Sword Emperor's Terrorist attack. Back then, Murakan had almost single-handedly defended the skies.
Furthermore, considering the radical actions of the 12th flagbearer and his battle prowess, it was only natural for the mages to harbor such misconceptions.
'12th flagbearer of Runcandel attacked the Black King Mountain Hideout with his guardian dragon...'
'And they won!'
The mages gulped simultaneously, pondering the thought.
'I heard that he has regained his strength, but has he already reached the point where he can single-handedly handle the Black King Mountain Hideout?'
'The speed at which he is recovering his old power is remarkable. Just a few years ago, he couldn't even compare to Sis Cuicantelle.'
Labus and Untiel exchanged glances, and coughed awkwardly as they eyed Murakan.
[Hmm, ah-hem! I greet the ruler of Mt. Murakan, and the friend of Solderet, the Black Dragon Murakan. I didn't expect to meet you here.]
[I didn't expect to see you here either. Have you been well, great Black Dragon?]
Labus and Untiel said.
Jin had met these dragons during his time as reserve flagbearer.
'These are the dragons we met on the day I first saw Ms. Cuicantelle. Back then, they were quite proud as well.'
Murakan locked eyes with the two dragons. Specifically, it was Murakan who looked at them, while they didn't dare to meet Murakan's gaze.
These two dragons were among those who had faced Murakan most frequently during his prime.
[Labus, Untiel. What brings you here?]
[We came because we sensed something unusual in the Bise Kingdom.]
[There seemed to be a big battle going on, but if it's alright, could you provide us with more details…. Nevermind!]
Flutter!
Before Untiel could finish her sentence, Murakan flapped his wings loudly. It was a gesture of dragons expressing displeasure, much like delivering a heavy punch to a human.
[You insignificant earth dragons! How dare you tell me to inform you of what happened here?]
[No, oppa. It's not like that.]
[Murakan, it's a misunderstanding! We're not demanding you to tell us what happened. We're simply asking if you could, if possible, share the details with us... Of course, we can understand it if you don't want to.]
The tone of earth dragons quickly shifted. They couldn't help but feel embarrassed. If Murakan had truly regained all his former power, there was no force in the world that could stand in his way. At least, that was how the dragons perceived it.
If they spoke too rudely, Murakan could turn them into ashes, and the Empire would be the one to bear the consequences.
[Is that so? I've been feeling it since the last time, but it seems quite a bit of time has passed since I taught you all a lesson. I see that my own kind is not treating me as carefully as before, and this uncomfortable feeling has been growing day by day.]
Hoo-ung!
The shadow force that covered the sky grew even denser.
[And especially you all seem to be itching for death.]
In an instant, awls made of shadow force burst out from the black sky. Labus and Untiel were stunned and frantically lowered their heads.
[Oppa, that's not what we meant. We're sorry!]
[I think I made a mistake, please calm down and have a peaceful conversation!]
The sharp awls effortlessly pierced through the protective shield the two dragons quickly casted. Even the dragons themselves couldn't react properly. If Murakan had decided to, this single attack could have been fatal.
Initially, the target of these shadow force awls was not the earth dragons, but the fire dragon and the blue dragon behind them.
Theo and Laramaqua quickly descended and dodged Murakan's awls, but they refrained from counterattacking because they were well aware of how severe the situation could become.
The reason for Murakan's sudden rage was clear.
Fire Dragon Theo.
He was a relative of Kadun, the fire dragon and guardian dragon of Kelliark Zipfel.
Murakan and Kadun had never been on good terms, and just before the Holy Kingdom incident, Kadun's attack had almost rendered Murakan powerless.
Now, to Murakan, the Fire Dragons were a race he'd like to tear apart just by looking at them.
[Fire Dragon Theo, didn't your king relay that message to you? Do not confront me at all costs. And unfortunately if we do meet, you should run away as fast as you can with all your might.]
Shadow force awls formed once again, and Theo, Laramaqua, and theZipfel's mages concealed their bewildered expressions.
'Could that immense power we detected an hour ago really be from this crazy black dragon?!'
Of course, that was just Theo's misunderstanding.
The power that brought down the Black King Mountain Hideout was not Murakan's shadow force but Zephyrin's demonic energy. However, since the demonic energy exploded and vanished after Zephyrin left, there was no doubt that it was Murakan's power.
'No matter how much he's regained, fighting Murakan so arrogantly is an act of suicide.'
'I thought this might be like the battle between Valkas and Amela, but it's gone way beyond what I expected. We need to retreat immediately.'
Like nearly all dragons in the world, Theo and Laramaqua had always feared the Murakan in his prime. Especially Theo had a deeper fear because he had seen fire dragons and red dragons suffer many times just because they were relatives of Kadun.
[Answer me, Theo, and Laramaqua. I'll decide whether to kill you or let you live depending on your response. And this answer will affect the fate of the earth dragons too.]
[Oppa? W-why? We haven't done anything wrong. Please, do not do this.]
[Alright, we'll withdraw.]
Murakan glared at Theo and Laramaqua, ignoring the earth dragons' heartfelt pleas. The dragons could only flutter their wings, not knowing what to do.
All the dragons trembled. Their eyes were filled with anxiety, and there was absolutely no hint of arrogance left.
'Wow, Murakan... I am really not used to these situations no matter how many times I see it.'
To Jin, Murakan felt much more familiar when he was scratching his thigh while reading magazines and eating a strawberry pie with no dignity, a somewhat pathetic and unimpressive presence.
But in moments like this when his dignity of a thousand years stood out, he appeared to be a completely different being.
Although he hadn't definitively demonstrated that he had fully regained his old power, he had managed to terrify the Zipfel and the Imperial dragons.
'By the way, it might be a headache if they decide to resist.'
In reality, Murakan was exhausted. Jin, as a contractor who used the shadow force, was the only one who truly grasped this fact.
Murakan had already expended almost all of his power in his battle against Zephyrin.
However, Murakan was confidently confronting the dragons even in this state; it was simply his "personality."
Murakan had lived as the most powerful being from the moment he was born, for over 3,000 years.
Whether he regained his older power or recovered only a quarter of it, or he had nothing left, Murakan could not imagine having a different attitude from his prime.
It was because of this Jin didn't step forward even after knowing Murakan was exhausted. He didn't want to bruise his pride.
If the dragons decided to attack, he could fight alongside Murakan, which was fine, as neither Zipfel nor the Empire had any valid justification for attack in the Bise Kingdom. On the other hand, Runcandel had a legitimate reason after having just assisted the Black King mercenaries.
The Black King mercenaries remained silent in the midst of the misunderstanding and escalating tension. Maybe it was best to consider that they were unable to do anything.
The recent explosion caused by Zephyrin had left most of their high-ranking members incapacitated or still searching for their comrades. Besides, Valkas had lost consciousness.
The Black King mercenaries had to act extremely cautiously. They couldn't risk trying to correct the misunderstanding and potentially face an unpredictable situation.
Furthermore, before losing consciousness, Valkas had transferred command authority to Jin.
Thus, it was necessary to stay still until Jin took over.
After some thought, Jin reached this conclusion:
'If the dragons of Zipfel and Vermont retreat, I can somehow manage the situation to my advantage.'
If only the dragons of Zipfel and Vermont would withdraw.
The reason Jin's conclusion was clouded like this was because he still hadn't deeply 'felt' Murakan's presence despite hearing everywhere about Murakan's grandeur a thousand years ago. It was something only those who had shared those thousand years with him could truly understand.
In other words, the dragons from ZIpfel couldn't even think of fighting with Murakan.
[... Murakan, we apologize for unintentionally offending you. I, along with Fire Dragon Theo, will quickly withdraw. Could you find it in your heart to forgive us?]
Lalamaqua replied. Her tone was calm but her response was almost pitifully humble. Jin was rather surprised once again.
Of course, Murakan had no intention of letting the matter go. He didn't know about other dragons, but the fact that a Fire Dragon had come to visit only further enraged him.
So at the moment when he was about to respond that he would let Theo go after crippling him, Jin spoke up first.
"I accept! The dragons of Zipfel and Vermont will return to their homelands soon. Before the heart of my guardian dragon changes."
Upon hearing this, the dragons from Zipfel and Vermont were taken aback, and Murakan understood Jin's intention instantly. He regained his composure. Not controlling his anger at this point was equivalent to putting his contractor in danger.
The Earth Dragons continued to roll their eyes, while the Fire Dragon and Blue Dragon met Jin's gaze. After a moment, they could only respond like this:
[Great... we thank you for clearing up the misunderstanding, contractor of the Black Dragon. I hope we can meet again under better circumstances.]
Lalamaqua's response carried an undertone of "I am retreating today but I will remember this humiliation," but Jin couldn't help but smile.
"You have nothing to be grateful for. Take care."
章節 293: Chapter 452
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(Breaking News: The Black King Mountain Hideout has been destroyed!)
(What fate awaits the Bise Kingdom with the collapse of the Black King Mountain Hideout?)
(It is reported that Black King leader Valkas Kran is currently in critical condition. The fact that he hasn't made a public statement suggests his situation is dire.)
(Why was the Black King Mountain Hideout attacked?)
(So far, the most likely suspects are Runcandel's 12th flagbearer and his guardian dragon, Murakan... Did they have a grudge between them?)
(Was the power of the Black King mercenaries all just hot air? A myth of the mercenary world shattered by one dragon and one individual.)
(Black Dragon Murakan, trampling the Black King Mountain Hideout!)
(Rumor has it that Runcandel's 12th flagbearer, Jin Runcandel, has brought the "Spectre Corps" to their knees even before this incident... A coalition of neutral forces, perhaps?)
(What will be the fate of the Black King mercenaries?)
As always, news articles were pouring in like crazy.
And, none of these articles were completely correct as is often the case.
Both the Bise Kingdom and nearby news outlets lacked the ability to deeply investigate such an event, and external news sources had to rely on Bise Kingdom's reports for their own news stories.
As a result, misunderstandings, lack of information, and embellishments to fill in the gaps led to Jin being depicted as the destroyer of the Black King mercenaries.
The main reason for this was that the Black King mercenaries couldn't properly control the media.
If it were limited to the Bise Kingdom and its vicinity, they could have easily produced news to suit their taste. However, the Black King mercenaries are not as influential as Runcandel, Zipfel, Vermont, or Kinzelo, which are considered major factions.
Even the four major factions couldn't fully control an incident of this magnitude. You can't stop a wave with your hand.
Moreover, after this incident, the perception was strong that the Black King mercenaries were "finished." Major news outlets had reached a point where they no longer needed to be cautious about their reporting.
Given Valkas's actual condition and the fact that the hideout had been demolished, there was no other way to see it.
"Hahaha, hehehe...! Truly, it's the best year-end event."
Kelliark Zipfel.
As usual, he was seated on the top floor of Zipfel 1st Magic Tower, the tower of stories, and he was looking through various news sources. He had a face reminiscent of Veradin, filled with a boyish grin.
[Ha, are you laughing? Does this make you laugh?]
"Kadun! Aren't you finding this amusing? I think this is even funnier than that comedy I watched with you and Octavia last time."
[Kaah! How do you keep being like this every time? You did the same last time, and even when that damn brat was ranting about the return of the Magic Swordsman, you found it funny.]
Kadun felt like he was about to go mad when Kelliark behaved like this.
-[Is it fun? Are you out of your mind?]
-Why? At that age, he's turning Runcandel into a complete mess all on his own. Even Zipfel couldn't pull it off. I'm enjoying it too, you know?
-[How much damage have we suffered because of that damn brat, Kelliark? Your younger brother died, the Demon God's Orb was destroyed, and on top of that, our alliance with Kinzelo fell apart. The incident with the Holy Kingdom... It's unspeakable. And not long ago, you even lost your Black Knight spy, Kelliark!]
-Don't forget the Iose of the Spectre Corps.
-[Right, that too. Is that all? He's a Magic Swordsman...! That brat is breaking the oath!]
This conversation took place about a month and a half ago, when they received the invitation to the Sword Emperor's banquet.
Back then, Kadun urged Kelliark to pressure Runcandel immediately, but Kelliark didn't listen to him.
It was the same even now. Kadun felt that this wasn't the time for Kelliark to be so relaxed.
'He hasn't experienced the Runcandel of a thousand years ago, that's why he's acting like this. Kelliark doesn't understand how dangerous they are!'
Whether Kelliark was aware of Kadun's thoughts or not, he just kept on laughing heartily.
[Kelliark!]
"Aah, I'm going to lose my hearing. Kadun, why are you so angry?"
[How can you say that...!]
"Is it not significant that the 12th flagbearer brought down the Black King mercenaries? No, no, it's more accurate to say it's not the 12th flagbearer but rather the work of his guardian dragon, Murakan."
[That's exactly why it's a problem. Murakan is regaining his power.]
Murakan.
The reason Kadun was reacting so sensitively to this recent event was precisely because of that.
It was the information relayed directly to him by the Fire Dragon Theo and the Blue Dragon Laramaqua that Murakan was regaining his power.
[Whether Jin Runcandel subdued the Black King mercenaries, absorbed it, or just fought and won, that's not particularly important. But the fact that Murakan is returning to his prime is something we absolutely cannot ignore.]
As usual, Kelliark found Kadun's reaction intriguing, just like before.
"Aren't you overly concerned about that Black Dragon?"
[Unlike when I met him near Santel in the Shawl kingdom, he has clearly recovered a part of his heart this time and that too without the Demon God's Orb.]
Kadun had effortlessly cornered Murakan back then.
Murakan had been preoccupied with rescuing the people of Santel from Kadun's attack, which made it impossible to face Kadun.
At that time, Murakan had barely recovered his strength, so Kadun was much stronger in the first place.
Anyway, after that battle, Murakan survived and demonstrated his strength for all to see.
Both at the Sword Emperor Castle terrorist attack and just a few days ago at the Black King Mountain Hideout.
Kadun had been somewhat uncertain about Murakan's recovery when he heard the news of the Sword Emperor Castle.
He wasn't sure whether the weak Murakan he had encountered at Santel had fully recovered his strength or if he had been unable to show it in battle back then.
[It's certain now. Kelliark, we need to prepare before he regains all of his old power.]
"You're scared, you know."
[Yes.]
Surprisingly, Kadun readily admitted that fact.
"Didn't you say you were the dragon closest to Murakan in power a thousand years ago?"
[Close to and on par are two different things. Okay I admit it he was the strongest. So, take my words seriously and don't let that little brat and Murakan go wild anymore!]
The smile disappeared from Kelliark's face for the first time.
"You have a point. But, Kadun, I feel like it's more of a gamble to meddle with the 12th flagbearer and his guardian dragon."
[Because of Chiron Runcandel?]
"Exactly. When he's gone, the world will fall into our grasp anyway. And he doesn't have much time left. Can the 12th flagbearer of Runcandel overcome the domain of Chiron in that time?"
Absolutely impossible.
Kelliark continued talking and made eye contact with Kadun.
"I have personally experienced the 19 years old Chiron. I don't think the current 12th flagbearer is any better than the Chiron from back then. The 12th flagbearer can never reach his level."
[As you've experienced Chiron's power, I've experienced the Runcandel and Murakan from that time.]
"I know. But, Kadun, look at the current situation. It seems to me that the fight will end as soon as Chiron is gone. The world will be ours. Why bother stirring up the beehive when all we have to do is wait for Chiron's time to end and adjust the variables appropriately? It's not like the opportunity has presented itself, is it?"
Kadun didn't respond.
He didn't think Kelliark was wrong, but he couldn't quite put into words the unsettling feeling that filled his heart.
"If you're worried, I'll order an increase in the personnel tracking Misha. It should help alleviate your anxiety."
In the end, Kadun could only nod.
[...Alright. It would be much better if Murakan's sister gets captured.]
"Yes. It's a bit regrettable that we narrowly missed her recently. Anyway, I'm more concerned about my son than the 12th flagbearer or the Black Dragons."
[Veradin?]
"Yes. It's still difficult to tamper with his mind and memories, maybe because the mind control magic's stability is deteriorating or due to some other influence. Manipulating his mind and memories has been getting increasingly challenging."
The factors that could influence Veradin's spiritual world.
Kelliark couldn't know what that was. It was because of the emotions he had forgotten for so long.
[In my opinion, it's because the 12th flagbearer and Dante Hairan have an influence on Veradin.]
"Whatever influence it has on Veradin, the end result will be hatred and betrayal. And if that's the case, we need to be even more cautious about touching the 12th flagbearer until the perfect moment arrives."
[Damn!]
Kadun shrugged his shoulders, and Kelliark fell silent for a while, fiddling with a crystal ball.
***
The land of the beastmen, Kinzelo's Headquarter.
The faces of Bishkel, Berakt and Joe were dark. The table they sat at was piled with numerous news articles about Jin.
However, unlike Zipfel, they did not mistakenly think that Murakan was the main culprit behind this incident.
"Hmm, Zephyrin... she's gone and caused an incident."
Joe said, glancing at Berakt.
Zephyrin.
Even though Kinzelo had not sent anyone to the scene of the collapsed Black King Mountain Hideout, they were fully aware that this incident was her doing.
Because the condition of the leader had rapidly deteriorated right after the collapse of Black King Mountain Hideout.
It meant either the leader had used excessive force just as he did in Sword Emperor castle, or someone else had harnessed the leader's power.
The leader now suffered in the same way, and there was no doubt that there was only one being capable of borrowing the leader's power without permission: Zephyrin.
"No, um... leader's condition, um, isn't very, chomp, good, huh? Because, um, the Demon Dragon, uh, did something wrong!"
Bubare said in annoyance while eating a sweet potato croquette.
Bishkel and Berakt had the impulse to kill that fat lump of flesh immediately, but they clenched their trembling fists.
"Vice-leader."
"Yes, Sir Berakt."
"What are your thoughts on this matter?"
"I also think that Ms. Zephyrin's recent actions went too far. After the events at the Sword Emperor castle, our leader was already required to have extreme rest."
"Furthermore, she was at the height of not even showing her face during Kinzelo's debut. I believe she should be punished severely."
"Sir Berakt, Ms. Zephyrin is beyond our jurisdiction."
"I am aware of that. I just inquired if the Vice-leader had any ideas. Our great cause may be set back if our leader's recovery is delayed."
In response, Bishkel closed his eyes and fell into deep thought for a while.
"Then, I will request a meeting with her and ask for a favor. I will ask her to spend some time as a spy within Zipfel. It seems that this is the maximum we can ask of Ms. Zephyrin."
"There is a high probability that she will not agree."
"I will make sure to persuade her."
Berakt nodded in satisfaction. Bishkel always kept his word.
"Understood. I trust you and wait, Vice-leader."
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