661
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From then on, the two of them started wandering around the subspace like ordinary siblings looking for something together.
Luntia's steps were slow due to fatigue, but after she regained her reason, she was able to feel the 'different energy' remaining in the subspace little by little.
[When I was lost in madness, I couldn't sense it at all, but now that I'm back to my senses, I can feel the chaos and other energy in the subspace more clearly. Perhaps there is a reason why the subspace was broken.]
The other energy that Luntia was talking about was mana.
Even when Jin tried to sharpen his senses, he couldn't sense that mana like Luntia could. It was because the chaos was too thick. If Jin had to find Valeria alone without the help of Luntia, it would have been like finding a needle in a haystack.
"Is Hister seriously injured?"
[Yeah, there's nothing else I can say but sorry.]
"You didn't do that in your right mind, elder sister. As long as she is alive, she will be able to recover somehow."
[The problem is if she accepted the chaos like I said when I was out of my mind. If not, she wouldn't have survived. My sword pierced through her chest...]
"As I said before, the magic I saw for the first time did not have the energy of chaos. Even if the record magic was deployed before she was injured, the magic would have to have been altered or lost if Hister was tainted by chaos. It's not your fault, so don't worry too much."
[You said that even if it were you, you wouldn't be able to turn away from the nanny, but if it were you...… you would have made a better choice than me.]
"No. More than that, if the Prophet was here to retrieve Sir Padler from the tomb, then you didn't come here to track Hister in the first place, elder sister. I was shocked to get her hair from the knights guarding the outside."
[Hister has encountered knights several times in the process of searching for a tomb. Maybe that's when he got her hair. I've been replacing Sir Padler since Ronil Zipfel lost her.]
On the day Ronil lost Valeria, Luntia wasn't yet consumed by chaos, nor had she become the owner of the subspace in place of the Padler.
From the beginning, Luntia wasn't pursuing Hister, but just happened to cross paths with Valeria while searching for Temar's tomb.
Instead, Valeria gained an advantage from Luntia's years-long search.
Valeria obtained a decisive clue that the tomb was in the Kaldran snowfield by watching Luntia's exploration.
"It seems... there were separate groups searching for Temar's tomb and tracking Hister. You were in the former, elder sister."
[Yes. Before coming to subspace, I never received orders to kill or capture Hister. I suspected that such orders were given Black Knights and the first division of the Black Sword Association.]
Luntia attacking Valeria in the tomb was purely because she was unable to control her madness of bloodlust. It wasn't because of any orders given to her.
Jin was only now understanding the situation.
The reason Valeria hastily entered the tomb without leaving any contact with Tikan.
'Rosa and the Prophet must have thought that Elder Sister Luntia would be reluctant to pursue Valeria. Besides, they were planning to make my sister the owner of the subspace anyway, so they let her find the tomb to avoid unnecessary resentment.'
In other words, Rosa and the Prophet are aware of the bond between Luntia and Jin.
In particular, Rosa judged that Luntia could become an ally of Jin at any time, as she observed the changes in Luntia after Jin's patriarch declaration.
Therefore, as Rosa, the best choice was to use Luntia as much as possible and then tie her up in the tomb. There were only a few people who possessed a pure and strong soul that could replace Padler.
If Luna had been in the Garden of the Swords and had a weakness like Lisham, Rosa would not have hesitated to use Luna to get Padler out.
The time of subspace and the human world flows differently. That is why Jin became more restless as time passed, but did not show it outwardly, because he knew that Luntia was doing her best with her broken body.
And Luntia would have to be alone for a while when Jin left tomb, trapped in this lonely and terrible space, engulfed in the madness of chaos.
It was uncertain when Jin would come back to her.
It was also impossible to know how long it would take for the Chaos Purification Device to resolve the complete encroachment, and there was a high possibility that Rosa would strengthen the borders of the Kaldran Snowfields after today.
As they walked, Jin told his sister about what had happened to him all this time. When Luntia heard about the things that had happened in Laprarosa, she laughed joyfully as if she were envious, but when she heard about the events that Jin had experienced, she became very serious.
[I can't even imagine how painful it must have been for you to fight against Sir Padler and those who were swallowed up by chaos. It must have been terrible, including Sir Ron and Sir Padler, and now me.]
"Of course, it's painful. But just like we're having a friendly conversation like siblings, I'll also restore Sir Padler to his original state. Just like when I had overcome chaos with the late Lord Ron."
[I think I know why elder sister Luna admired you so much. I wish I had become closer to you a little sooner.]
"I too have never approached you first, have I not? Of course, we both liked each other in our hearts after the Patriarch Declaration."
[This feels awkward after so long. But... Come to think of it, didn't you say that the weapon used to enter here was the sword of a knight named Hedo?]
"Yes."
[Ilina also said that one item was needed to exchange Sir Padler with me. However, unlike the sword you used as a key, it seemed to be a one-time consumable item. She didn't say that there was only one, but she explained it as if it were a consumable item.]
"Perhaps Hedo's sword and the items the Prophet used on you and Sir Padler all have something to do with the old Runcandel. In my case, I interacted with Hedo's sword with shadow force, and you must have interact with Prophet's object and chaos."
[I don't know why Zipfel's monster butler has such a thing.]
"He also seemed unaware of the sword's true nature. If Zipfel also knew the identity of the sword, they would have managed it more specially."
[Then, did Hister also have items related to the old Runcandel? She didn't use anything other than her mana.]
How did Valeria manage to enter this tomb? That was the question that had been bothering Jin all along.
'Considering my case and the prophet's, even if it's related to the old Runcandel, it's unlikely that you can enter the tomb without being able to use shadow force or chaos. Or maybe the Solderet recording device that I gave her became the key.'
Jin didn't know until he heard from Valeria herself.
Luntia's steps were getting faster than before. She didn't regain her strength in the slightest, but she was trying her best to find Hister a second faster, just as Jin was taking care of her.
[I think we're getting closer... the strange feeling coming through the subspace is getting stronger.]
Luntia pointed her finger to a far-off empty space.
[There it is. I tried my best...… but I can't walk anymore.]
She is unable to recover her body after being disconnected from subspace.
Luntia's legs were now completely stiff like a statue and could not move at all.
[Go, youngest. I'll wait here. Don't reconnect me and subspace...… I will attack you immediately.]
"I understand, elder sister."
As Jin approached the point where Luntia pointed, his heart pounded with anxiety.
Now, he could feel Valeria's mana like Luntia.
Her mana was like a fading flame, infinitely faint and unstable.
"Valeria."
Jin called her name as he stopped walking.
There was no answer or reaction.
Jin called her several more times, then closed his eyes and focused his senses and shadow force.
Thanks to recovering some shadow force while walking, Jin was able to unleash the Shadow Sword 1st technique only once.
He felt like he had to cut through the subspace himself to confirm.
'I have to make sure Valeria doesn't get hurt when I cut through space.'
Jin gauged the depth by reading the faint mana that flowed out. It wasn't long before he was able to catch distance, and he swung his shadow sword as it was.
Swish!
The space opened.
[No!]
It wasn't Luntia's voice.
That voice belonged to Neru, felinoids tribe.
"Neru...…!?"
Jin never thought Neru would come out from beyond the space.
Neru spread his short arms wide open and bit his lips.
It was a gesture that people unconsciously make to protect something.
[Jin...? Is it really Jin Runcandel?]
Jin was speechless, staring at the person Neru was protecting behind him, Valeria Hister, who was trapped in an ice-like shell. As Luntia had said, a large black scar was visible in the middle of Valeria's chest.
"Valeria!"
As Jin entered the space, Neru stroked her chest.
[Jin, Valeria sealed herself. The wound was too deep, so there was no other way.]
Alive.
Although he had expected it because there was still her mana left, something hot hit his throat when he saw Valeria with his own eyes.
"Then, Neru, have you been with Valeria all this time?"
[Yes, since the first time I came here. Luntia Runcandel doesn't know this. What about Luntia Runcandel? Maybe the person behind you..?]
"It's too complicated to explain. Anyway, let's get out of here, Neru. Judging by the amount of mana, the seal won't last long."
[Yeah, I've already made a way out. Valeria can't move, so we couldn't leave.]
Neru pulled the cat god's claw from his arm.
It was an item that the felinoids Tribe cherished thanks to Valeria in the past in Wantaramo Forest.
As Neru immediately tried to use claws to open the door leading out of subspace, Jin turned back to look at Luntia.
She was shaking her hand as if to say "Go quickly."
The two of them were reading each other's thoughts without speaking, just like they did in their first meeting after the patriarch declaration.
'I'll be back soon, elder sister.'
'Come back safely, youngest.'
The door leading out of the subspace opened, and Luntia stared at the empty space for a while where they had disappeared.
662
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Beyond the door was not the inside of the cave where they entered the tomb, but rather a spot in the Kaldran snowfield.
And Jin realized, as soon as they stepped outside, that another urgent situation was waiting for them.
'I had anticipated it, but it seems that quite some time has passed outside.'
The landscape of Kaldran Snow Field had changed.
The snow, which had previously reached up to their knees, was now dyed completely black, and the oppressive gray snowstorm had also turned into a pitch-black chaos.
'Is the entire snowfield stained with chaos?'
There wasn't a single spot in sight that wasn't dark, and the chaos snowstorm was so crazy that even those unaccustomed to it would likely lose their minds just by being exposed to it.
Kiehek, kaaak-!
In addition, the roars of the chaotic dragons that shook the sky could be heard.
When Jin raised his head, the dragon was shooting black breath like an artillery bombardment toward the ground.
On the ground, there were also knights consumed by chaos and monsters that could only be seen in the Black Sea, writhing about.
[Jin, I can't create any more dimensional portals... You also seem tired, what should we do?]
Neru had already been struggling to stand still since Jin first discovered him.
To open a dimensional portal, a large amount of energy or the cat god's claws are required, but neither of them is available.
"It's okay, Neru. I still have enough strength to break through this level of encirclement. And..."
Jin paused, closing his eyes and concentrating his senses.
Other powers were being detected by his senses, amidst the chaos that filled the entire snowfield. Aura, mana, and demonic energy. They were undoubtedly the powers of those who were fighting to save them.
"It seems that there are people fighting to save us. If we join forces with them, we should be able to escape without any problems. I'll explain everything about you, and Valeria after we escape and have some time to calm down."
[Really? Did you tell your companions about it before entering the tomb?]
"Not only my companions, but also Zipfel and Kinzelo, with whom I formed a temporary alliance."
[Zipfel and Kinzelo!?]
"They are good friends to have in a situation like this."
[Meow!]
Jin summoned Shuri, put Neru on top of her, and tied up the sealed Valeria.
Energy that was not chaos was not gathered in one place.
North, East, West. Jin decided that it would be better to let them know his location and gather them in one place, if possible.
'If we gather and someone like Rosa or someone of her level comes and we can't escape, it will be a problem.'
Jin didn't sense too many allies.
It means that the allies who came to save Jin were made up of only a small number of elites from each faction. Therefore, Jin decided that it would be best to first let the weakest of his allies know his presence.
Of course, the people Jin had to find first were the Tikanians. Since Talaris was injured, Tikan's elite were likely to be relatively weak.
Depending on the situation, it might be best for Jin to rescue them and join forces with other factions.
"To the East."
The most familiar energy was in the east.
When Shuri began to run, the eyes of the nearby monsters were all focused on them.
Before Jin could even unleash his sword or magic, Shuri fired a mana beam that disintegrated the demons without a trace.
[Meaaaa!]
Fortunately, while heading east, they did not encounter any remaining forces of chaos.
In less than 15 minutes of running, Jin was able to meet Tikan's struggling companions.
"Sir Valkas!"
Valkas and Amela, Lata and Yulian.
From Tikan, four people were in charge of searching for the Kaldran snowfield.
"My lord! Old man Valkas, protect the lord! Oh, and who's this cute little guy!"
"My lord! My lord, you rescued Valeria...…!"
As Jin feared, they were struggling quite a bit.
The corpses of chaos bodies that seemed to be monsters and knights were literally forming black rivers and mountains around them.
"We don't have time, Sir Valkas. Please explain the situation first."
"It's been five days since you entered the tomb, my lord. The Garden of the Swords hasn't directly attacked Tikan or any other factions, but the Kaldran snowfield has been contaminated entirely."
Despite the lack of transcendent chaos entities, they were struggling due to the endless waves of chaos they faced after arriving at the Kaldran Snowfield.
"It's fortunate that there wasn't a direct attack outside the Garden of the Swords. Were there any casualties?"
"No casualties among the Vamel alliance. The allies probably had a similar situation, although they may have lost some living golems and Plutonian-type golem."
According to Valkas' report, transcendent chaos entities didn't appear on the side of the Vamel Alliance.
Instead, the monsters at the level of the inner core monsters had been appearing all over the snowfield for several days.
"If Rosal knew that I escaped the tomb, she might send some powerful beings immediately. How did you decide to escape after you found me?"
"We decided to use the leader's dimensional gate."
"Good, let's go!"
As soon as Jin joined them, the mood of the Tikan party changed.
It wasn't just because Jin's well being was confirmed.
Despite being nearly exhausted from opening the tomb and battling with Luntia, it was not a difficult task for Jin to obliterate the ordinary chaos beings that appeared every few seconds with flames emanating from his hands.
He tried to ensure that those who appeared to be knights suffered as little as possible before meeting their demise.
Kinzelo and Zipfel were positioned to the northwest. Shuri, who was carrying the entire party, was becoming increasingly anxious as they could encounter other forces.
The first people they ran into were Hedo and Sandra, who were separated from Zipfel and the others while searching for Jin. Naturally, it was due to Sandra causing a commotion.
She was insisting that she wouldn't be able to rescue Jin in such a lackluster manner (Zipfel was looking for Jin in earnest) and had left with Hedo to take separate action as soon as they arrived back in the snowfield.
"Honey! Is it really Jin?! It's Jin, right, Hedo?!"
"Correct, he is the 12th flagbearer, so please stop pulling on my clothes, my lady."
"I told you we had to move separately. The imbeciles in my clan still don't know that my Jin has returned."
"My lady and I only found out just now. We didn't even come to look for him. It was the 12th flagbearer who found us."
"Jin!!"
Sandra ran towards Jin, intending to embrace him on top of Shuri, but Jin unknowingly avoided her.
Thanks to that, Sandra could only fall onto Valeria, who was tied up behind Jin.
Kang!
The sound of ice colliding with someone's head echoed throughout the area.
"Darn it! If only I were a little faster, I could have hugged you... ha! this woman is so very, very precious that she almost made us disappear from the world? I want to smash her, no, no, Sandra, for now, you should be happy that Jin has returned safely!"
With that, even Sandra climbed onto Shuri's back.
As Shuri possessed tremendous power that could destroy even a mountain given time, the weight of the many people was not heavy, but sometimes Shuri turned her head as if in discomfort.
Due to his large size, Hedo couldn't ride on Shuri's back and hung onto her side. Although it didn't look good, Hedo seemed unconcerned.
"Looks like you've done it, 12th flagbearer."
"Yes, Tower Keeper. I'll show my gratitude when we return. I'm also curious about your sword. I think you are the same, Tower Keeper."
"Jin, what about me?"
"Thank you too, Sandra."
"If you had said you were very grateful, I would have extended the remaining two days of the life of the woman trapped in ice. But now, I'll take aim myself."
"Thank you very much."
"Kya kya kya, that's how it should be!"
Jin, Valeria, Neru, Valkas, Amela, Lata, Yulian, Sandra, Hedo rode on Shuri as she sped forward with vigor once again. However, it wasn't long before Shuri had no choice but to pick a new person.
"Baby, what's that dead-looking guy? Who is he?"
"That's a Demon called Ranke Halovice, Sandra."
Ranke Halovice. Judging from his condition, he seems to have become 'Rampaging Ranke', but he has collapsed from exhaustion from dealing with the inner core monster-class chaos for several days.
"There's not enough space, should we just leave them? No, if we bring them along, I might be able to get closer to Jin and the ice chunk will be farther away. Hedo!"
Whoosh!
Hedo caught Ranke and threw him onto Shuri's back. Valkas roughly tied him up with a rope.
In this way, more and more people continued to board Shuri or hang onto her.
"Bubare Gaston? He is not even combat personnel, so why did Kinzelo bring him?"
"Hedo!"
Whoosh!
"... Ainas Kaligo? Oh, no wonder Bubare is here."
"Hedo!"
Whoosh! Clank clank.
"I don't know his name, but he seems like a White Wolf tribe assault team leader or something."
"Hedo!"
Whoosh!
By the time they reached near Orgal, Shuri was carrying about twenty or so people running around like fruit.
Sandra, who was stuck to Jin, looked almost flattened like a pancake, and Shuri seemed to be really tired.
And the personnel clinging to Jin and Shuri, facing Orgal, realized why they had only been able to deal with chaos bodies so far.
Orgal and Zephyrin were dealing with Lionel, Stam, and the unknown old black knights.
'Orgal... What a wonderful being. I know that wouldn't be the end of Lionel, but I didn't expect him to show up already. And all these corpses seem to be transcendent chaos entities.'
However, Orgal seemed tired. As soon as he saw Jin, he smiled and waved his hand.
[Oh... Just when I thought it was my limit, you appear at a good moment, Jin Runcandel. Looks like you've found your lover?]
"No, I was the one whom Jin saved? You are saying something wrong."
[Now that the really unmanageable guy was about to come out, so that's great. Let them run away immediately.]
Orgal said as he knocked Lionel's sword away.
Lionel was gasping for breath, having lost one arm.
[Do you think you can run away, demon!]
As soon as Lionel finished speaking, the steel gate opened between the party and Orgal.
At the same time, the gate of chaos opened on the opposite side.
"By the way, Orgal, what about Zipfel?"
[I never thought that Runcandel would ask to take Zipfel with him. It's better to tell those friends to come back on their own.]
"Well, even if it's just a temporary alliance, we're still allies, so shouldn't we at least let them know about the escape plan?"
"Babe, let's just go first! That person coming out of that gate seems really strong!"
"My lady, Zipfel is your clan name."
"What does that matter? Jin looks like he's about to die anyway."
The one coming out of the gate of chaos was none other than Padler Runcandel. Orgal also raised his head as if to say, "Look at that," and Jin nodded.
[I'll shoot a signal flare.]
"That's a good idea. Shuri, to the steel gate."
[JIN... RUNCANDEL...….]
Padler spoke in a dark voice.
Just before he came out of the gate of chaos, fortunately, Shuri was able to throw herself into the steel gate with the many people she had carried, unharmed.
Orgal and Zephyrin followed suit and ran to the steel gate, and Padler could only watch as they disappeared through the gate.
663
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Vamel Alliance, Tikan Free State Palace.
The Vamel Alliance and its temporary allies were still tense after Jin returned safely and they managed to rescue Valeria, although her injuries remained a concern for Tikan.
There was no way to heal her injuries, even if Jin mobilized the abilities of all the healers, medical staff, and felinoids tribe of his allies, as well as Holy King Lani, who was dedicated to treating Talaris.
"Whoa."
After leaving the medical room, Jin caught his breath as if he was tired. He was infusing mana into Valeria's seal every day.
A mage of at least Octavia's level was required to maintain Valeria's complicated magic from the outside, so it was only possible for Jin in Tikan.
Even if Jin's mana reached 10 stars, external mana injection caused too much mental fatigue.
This meant that Jin could not exert all his energy while keeping Valeria alive.
"Valeria Hister, I always felt she was a remarkable person. As far as I know, most mages cannot maintain any magic while unconscious. Not only mages, but also humans cannot do anything while unconscious."
"Lady Syris."
Syris patted Jin on the shoulder.
"I'm sorry I couldn't help with the power of the hidden palace."
"Don't say that, I've always received grace from hidden palace."
It was also impossible to replace Valeria's magic with the hidden palace seal. It was the same even assuming that Talaris, not Syris, was in a recovered state and tried it herself.
"Ha...."
Qwaul, who had been sitting in front of the hospital room the whole time, sighed as soon as he saw Jin. The ashtray next to him was full of heaps of butts, and his face was so haggard that he looked like a dying person.
Qwaul saw Valeria as a genius inventor who would shoulder the future of the world together with him.
In some ways, he even believed that Valeria possessed a greater talent than himself, and he was convinced that if Valeria were to die without recovering, the development of the world would be set back by hundreds of years.
Beyond this, Qwaul was the closest person to Valeria among her companions. Over the past three years, Qwaul had formed the deepest bond with her.
"If possible, I would sacrifice my life to save her. How can this be so hopeless... even with the abilities of the Holy King and Talaris Kendorma!"
"It's Endorma, not Kendorma! How can a supposed genius get one letter wrong every time? Are you just mocking me? Even in this situation?"
"Whether it's Kendorma or Endorma doesn't matter now! Without Valeria, all the research we've done together and the future of the world are just dark, dark!"
"If you were incompetent, you would have died a hundred times, and ninety-nine of those times would have been at my hands."
"So just kill me and save her!"
While delaying the progress of the world by a few hundred years was daunting, Jin also felt a sense of hopelessness when he considered that they needed to prepare for the upcoming battle with Rosa without Valeria.
Above all, the figure in the hospital room is Valeria, the person who saved his past self, who had been a disabled person.
"I'll find a way somehow, Dr.Qwaul."
"The only way is to obtain the blood or tears of Numerus. Don't those temporary allies have at least one of those? I don't know about the tears, but they might have the blood."
Blood of Numerus.
It was the legacy of the God of Hope who had saved Jin and Dante in the past. At present, there was no other place to pin their hopes.
'The chaos mixed in the affected area is at a level that can be solved with a purifier. As long as the seal is maintained as it is now, it won't spread further.'
However, fatal injuries to vital organs, including the heart, could only be treated with the power of a god.
"I have that in mind too. Let's wait for Kinzelo's answer first."
Kinzelo. The reason why their atmosphere is not good after Kaldran Snowfield is no different.
"Do you know when Demon King Orgal will wake up? Wouldn't it be better to just talk to Zipfel first?"
Due to the battle in the Kaldran Snowfield, Orghal fell into a state of sleep once again.
From the perspective of the Kinzelo members, it was like a nightmare, as Orgal occasionally coughed up blood while sleeping.
"Kinzelo is much more friendly to us than Zipfel. And since Rosa is still not attacking the outside of the Huphester, there is no urgent need for me to go into battle. So let's wait for Kinzelo first."
If they couldn't get help from Kinzelo, they would have to request assistance from Zipfel, which was not ideal for several reasons.
Firstly, Zipfel had invested the most manpower in the Kaldran snowfield. And everyone else who was present in the snowfield had escaped, except for Zipfel.
As a result, Zipfel lost around a hundred unfinished living golems and Octavia and Kadun were injured again, by the transcendent chaos beings, Padler Runcandel and others.
While it was true that Orgal had really exhausted all his power, from Zipfel's perspective, it was not a matter that could be easily understood and overlooked.
But they had stayed in Tikan and returned to Zipfel without revealing this fact, following Hedo's opinion.
In other words, Zipfel did not know that Hedo and Sandra escaped with Jin.
"It's frustrating. If we all work together, someone may suffer losses, but Zipfel just gets pissed off."
In fact, Zipfel has not yet responded to the letter sent by Tikan and Kinzelo after the Kaldran snowfield incident, and is showing signs of anger.
"Although the temporary alliance will not break due to this incident, there will inevitably be some tension. Zipfel may not have responded to communication with Tikan and Kinzelo because they are angry, but they may also be in the process of sorting out compensation or other demands."
"If they ask for some inconvenient requests in exchange for the legacy of Numerus, what will you do?"
"It will depend on the specific request. Why are you asking such a stupid question? Are you too stupid to even remember the name?"
"It's better to accept any request, even if they ask to return the spatial-time device. Valeria is more important."
"Dr. Qwaul, let's go over there and have a smoke. You know how wise our lord is. He will definitely take everything he can from the temporary alliance, so let's not worry about it. Come on, let's go. Jet has brought Mila Mountain's finest cigarettes."
Jet tactfully took Qwaul out, and Jin was lost in thought. Despite rescuing Valeria, he still couldn't think of a sharp solution.
"Young master, please take a break. Your face doesn't look good."
"That's right, my lord. Zipfel couldn't make such unreasonable demands, right?"
Kashmir, Enya, and other companions came over and offered words of comfort.
As soon as Jin went out to the front yard of the Tikan Palace to cool his head for a while, a report came in from the seven-colored peacock.
"Your Majesty, Sir Jin! Kinzelo's first flying ship, Grenil, is approaching Tikan."
Even from afar, Jin and his party could see the silhouette of Grenil.
"Grant them immediate entry and bring them here!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Jin and his companions naturally thought that executives such as Bishkel and Berakt had come to visit to inform about the situation of the leader and to discuss how to improve the relationship with Zipfel in the future.
Surprisingly, Orgal descended directly along with Zephyrin, Bishkel, Margiella, Bubare, and Ranke from Grenil.
Orgal's hazy body was weaker than before.
"Orgal, is your recovery over?"
[Not really... cough, cough.]
"Master! Here's water, tissue."
[Thank you... Zephyrin.]
Orgal was in a state where he could collapse again at any moment, let alone recover. Zephyrin wiped his blood with an annoyed expression.
"That's why I told you to just inform them by letter, or call Jin Runcandel on our side."
[Cough, cough.]
"Ah, really...."
For a while, Orgal coughed like an elderly and sickly human. Once his cough subsided a little, he exchanged some brief and formal greetings before getting straight to the point.
[I came here to answer your questions about Hister, Jin Runcandel.]
Jin's eyes widened.
[I see your expression changing. This is quite interesting, cough cough, ahem. I'd like to enjoy this a little more, but I can't.]
"If it's enough for you to come in person, could it be that you brought the Numerus's blood?"
"If we had it, would we give it to you?!"
"Yes, we never give it to you!"
Bubare and Ainas shouted at the same time.
[First of all, the Numerus's blood is meaningless. Without tears, Hister cannot be saved with Numerus' blood.]
"How can you be so sure?"
[How many drops of that blood do you think I've used in my long existence?]
"Then why did you come all the way here to tell us this? And in your current condition."
[Because I need to examine Hister myself in detail. I could have summoned you like Zephyrin did, but if you were absent when Zipfel found Tikan, things would be messed up. It would have seemed like only you and us meeting separately...… so someone from Zipfel will come soon.]
Orgal had already contacted Zipfel before coming to Tikan to discuss the situation in the Kaldran Snowfield.
[Looking at my condition, even Zipfel would have to admit that we didn't do it on purpose. Rather, I think we should hurry up and take a look at Hister before they come.]
Orgal was not in a situation to fool around. Jin guided him to Valeria's hospital room.
"What do you want to confirm from Hister?"
[The opening level of the complete mana body. If Hister is in a well-opened state, there is a way to save her without Numerus' Tears.]
Orgal put his hand over Valeria's seal for a few minutes and closed his eyes.
Soon, he nodded his head and reassured Jin.
[She has far exceeded my expectations. If it is this much (this time, Jin wiped the blood), it is possible to treat her without any cost.]
"How?"
Orgal answered Jin's question as follows.
[You can take Hister to the holy place of Zipfel. If she spends a little time there, this woman will fully recover.]
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"The Holy Land of Zipfel…?"
Jin had never heard of such a place before, not in his past life nor in current one.
[Yes, the Holy Land of Zipfel. The complete mana body that has almost been opened is no different from half immortals as long as they can use that space. Just being there can heal all wounds.]
"That such a space exists is one thing, but the fact that a complete mana body can perform such incredible regeneration there is like a lie."
[Lies? Hmm... Is that what you're saying?]
"For now, yes."
[Believe it or not, it's up to you, Jin Runcandel. But uh, uh...… there is no other way but to obtain Numerus Tears, otherwise. I'll tell you now, we don't have the tears of Numerus. You can check through Euria.]
"I said 'for now'. If you explain a little more, I think I can believe it."
[After going through all the trouble to bring my sick body here and show you the way, do I have a reason to be treated like a liar from the beginning?]
Jin let out a chuckle at those words.
"Hey, Orgal. Is there any need for knowledgeable people to talk nonsense? You wouldn't have come looking for me in such a pathetic state just for the sake of the Vamel alliance, would you?"
Jin throws Orgal's blood-stained handkerchief into the trash.
"You must have come here in such a hurry because you would be in trouble if Hister died. Demon King Orgal, in order to restore your manipulated history to its original state, Hister's power is absolutely necessary. Am I wrong?"
Orgal shrugged.
[I didn't expect such a reaction from a mere throwaway comment. Yes, you're right. Setting aside my history, Hister's ability is absolutely necessary to counter the evil god.]
"Then stop talking nonsense and say something noteworthy."
Swoosh!
Suddenly, a small steel door appeared in the middle of the hospital room.
Unlike usual, where the door would transport the user or target through dimensional travel, this door revealed a greenish landscape.
"A green shining sea...? It looks like a desert too."
[You can see it that way.]
"That landscape, is it the holy land of Zipfel that you mentioned?"
[Yes, but this is not its current appearance. I'm sharing my memories with you. It's from a few hundred years ago, but it probably hasn't changed.]
"I've never seen such colored mana before."
[It's not mana. It's a power that doesn't have a name, I call it residual energy.]
"Residual energy? Does that mean it's the power left by the existence beyond gods that you mentioned before?"
Orghal nodded.
"What does that have to do with Complete Mana Body?"
[The complete mana body is the only thing among humans that reacts to residual energy. It can heal any physical damage, including any disease, wounds, and scars, as long as the residual energy is present. It's only possible when the Complete Mana Body is opened to a certain level or higher.]
"Is there a special reason that only Complete Mana Body reacts to residual energy?"
[Well, I don't know the reason either. I'm just assuming that it's because some will of that existence is embedded among the owners of complete mana bodies. Maybe the complete mana body is a blessing that was only allowed to those who possessed that being's will in the first place.]
According to his explanation, 'residual energy' was able to heal any injury except for aging and mental shock, but only for the owners of Complete Mana Body.
Then, a vague human figure appeared inside the steel door scenery.
Although it wasn't clear, it was easy to see that one arm was missing.
[That memory is vague, so it's not being shared properly. Maybe it's a Complete Mana Body like Hister.]
The person in the scenery lay down in the middle of the holy land.
'Crazy....'
After a while, Jin could see the person's severed arm starting to regenerate. The residual energy of the holy land and the person's mana mixed together, creating a magnificent iridescent light and bubbles.
[Why do you have a face lost in thought? What, do you think I'm showing you fake scenery?]
Of course, Jin thought that there is a possibility of that. If it is the powers that Orgal had shown so far, it seemed possible.
But Jin decided to trust Orgal. Because, if true, there could be no better way. Orgal has no reason to lie now. Even so, the reason Jin was in trouble for a while was because another thought came to his mind.
"I think that not only will you have a complete mana body, but also you can recover if you go there. And you don't know the location of the holy land right now. So, in exchange for saving Hister this time, you are hoping I'll find out the location of the holy land for you. Am I wrong?"
A faint smile crept across Orgal's lips.
[Sometimes you and I communicate very well. That's right, cough cough.]
"Aren't you trusting me too much just because we can communicate well? Even if I discover the location, I have no intention of sharing it with you, Orgal. If you recover all your power, it will be no different from another evil god awakening to me and the people of the world."
[It's sad that you think that way about me. Anyway, if you find the location, at some point, we'll be able to make a deal if your perception of me changes, or if I have something you can't refuse.]
"That's a pretty ominous future."
[Zipfel will never make a deal with anyone over the location of the holy land, no matter what happens. In the first place, you would do the same.]
"But this time, they have to accept a deal to save Hister's life, right?"
[That's right. Zipfel probably wants to save Hister more than you do right now. So, isn't this quite a compelling story?]
"If I assume that everything you said is true, then it's very compelling. But I don't think Zipfel will reveal the location of the holy land so easily.""
[Threats, persuasion, and seduction are more your area of expertise than mine. Besides, you have Hister, Zipfel's biggest weakness, so you should be able to negotiate for favorable terms. Well, I'll help you more if I can.]
Jin met Orgal's gaze.
[The bright light and bubbles that occur when residual energy reacts to a complete mana body owner. You can use that as a bargaining chip.]
"That would give Zipfel something to research."
[As expected, you understand me immediately. Yes, that alone would be a significant reward for Zipfel. Of course, they will demand more than that. Cough! You'll regret it if you refuse.]
Jin was about to take out the handkerchief that he had thrown away in the trash, but took a new one from the drawer and wiped off his blood.
"You gave me the information because you wanted something, but let's just say thank you."
[Heuk, yes, sure, gulp, you seem to be grateful.]
The two of them talked about how to handle situations when Zipfel came for a while.
By the time the conversation was over, Jet found the hospital room.
"My lord! People are also coming from Zipfel. The ship Kozec has arrived."
"Okay, Jet. I'll be out in a minute."
"Yes!"
The leaders of the Zipfel's side who came to Tikan were Octavia, Ronil, and Kadun. Hedo and Sandra were nowhere to be seen.
Kadun transformed into human form, with bandages wrapped all over his body. He had not yet recovered from the injuries he sustained during the Garden of Swords' attack. They were not wounds that would heal easily. He was hit the most by the chaos emitted by Rosa and Ram, and he was injured again in the Kaldran snowfield. In fact, it was almost miraculous that he was even able to move now.
Jin faced them with a calm face, but inwardly rejoiced at Kadun's state.
'Looks like you're in desperate need of a Chaos Purification device.'
Unlike Jin, Kadun has been openly displaying his anger since entering Tikan Palace.
"Are you here?"
Kashmir greeted them directly with his companions.
"Are you here? Yes, we are here! You damn pups, we formed an alliance just a few days ago. Did you just leave us alone in the Kaldran snowfield? Don't you think it's too damn stupid, even if it's temporary?"
"You seem very angry, Kadun."
Kadun almost rolled his eyes when he heard Jin's voice. The bandages wrapped around his body were burning brightly, revealing his injuries.
"12th flagbearer...!"
"By the way, wouldn't it be right to think that it's normal?"
"What?"
"The day Rosa's hidden power was revealed, why did you and Kinzelo launch an all-out attack on Runcandel? Let me guess. It was because you were certain that I would have a decisive battle against the entire Garden of Swords. That's why you seized the opportunity and tried to destroy me and the Garden of Swords."
"Ha, we weren't temporary allies then. It means we were enemies, do you think we are in the same position now?"
"I admit it, so I forgave that bastard's behavior and accepted you as an ally. But now that you've come, you're not even asking about the circumstances and acting recklessly. It's not nice to see that you're so quick to behave like a scoundrel. Do you think we deliberately abandoned you? Look over there."
"What do you mean...?"
Kadun was speechless as he followed Jin's finger to the entrance of the Tikan Palace. There, he saw Orgal, supported by Zephyrin and coughing up blood with each step.
[Wow... you made it...… Kadun, cough, cough!]
"At the time, we were able to escape through Orgal's metal door. How are we supposed to escape with Zipfel in such a state? Even one of the ten great knights, Padler Runcandel, whom you dealt with, was being summoned right in front of us."
[Sorry... about... ugh.. that, Kadun...….]
"The situation was really urgent at the time. If you want, there is a contractor of Az Mil here that you can check with."
Kadun had nothing else to say as he watched Orgal, who kept collapsing and being lifted up by the members of Kinzelo.
Of course, Kadun wasn't a fool, so he had expected the situation to be urgent to some extent, but he didn't know that Orgal would be in such a state.
"Furthermore, although Zipfel's side suffered damage, no significant figures were killed, and the temporary alliances achieved their goals. We rescued Hister and I survived. Isn't that a pretty good result?"
As Kadun tried to say something, Ronil stepped forward and bowed slightly.
"We also think so, but please understand that there is some emotional aspect to it, Sir Jin please understand a little bit about Lord Kadun's anger."
"I will."
"What is Hister's condition? We received some news from the Kinzelo side, but we don't know the details."
"She is just barely alive. Orgal says she can recover if she goes to your holy land."
Ronil blinked his eyes for a few seconds. As if asking how do you know that?
"... What did you just say?"
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"It is as you have heard, Sir Ronil. The Hister needs Zipfel's holy land to recover."
Ronil's eyebrows furrowed as Jin replied naturally.
Jin hadn't seen him display such emotions during their previous meetings. Kadun and Octavia blinked in disbelief.
They never expected to hear such shocking news at this moment, when they had come to negotiate a temporary alliance.
"Sir Jin, there are many ears listening right now. Did you think it was appropriate to bring up such a topic here?" Ronil asked.
"I didn't know it was such a big secret. Kinzelo's leader told me casually." Jin retorted, and Ronil glared at Orgal.
Orgal barely got up and was shaking his hands as if he was sorry.
A moment of silence fell. In the meantime, Jin asked all of his companions to step outside, except for himself and Kashmir, leaving only Orgal and Zephyrin on Kinzelo's side.
"Sir Orgal, what were you thinking when you did this?" Ronil asked.
[Cough, cough....]
"master is in no condition to speak any longer, so let me answer on his behalf, Zipfels." Zephyrin said, lifting Orgal up.
"First of all, I hope that Zipfel members won't get too excited and listen to my story. I understand that Sir Jin brought up a sensitive topic without much thought, which may have caused frustration."
"Frustration? Is that all?" Octavia interrupted, causing Zephyrin's eyes to narrow.
"Please don't interrupt me. Let me make it clear that this is not a request but a warning. My master has known about the existence of the holy land even before you called it that, and he used to be its caretaker. So you got it when my master lost his power." Zephyrin said firmly.
"Are you claiming ownership then?" Ronil's voice became calm again.
Jin thought that Ronil's composure was impressive, but he suspected there was more to it.
'It looks like he didn't come here without considering the holy land.'
Octavia and Kadun may not know, but Ronil seemed to have a hunch. Maybe showing displeasure was all part of the plan.
"That's not true. If there comes a moment when we can take it back with force after defeating a public enemy, then who knows. But right now, that place clearly belongs to the Zipfel. But it's hard to bear being treated as if I don't even have the right to speak about what I know."
"What will you do if you can't bear it, Demon Dragon?"
It seems that the successor of the Fire Dragon Trakalnis is curious about that, so keep going if you want."
When the name Trakalnis came up, Kadun's eyes widened.
"How do you know about Trakalnis... !"
"It was a pretty satisfying meal, so I remember."
Normally, Kadun would have flown into a rage at this point, ready to kill Zephyrin.
However, the fire dragon Trakalnis was the king of fire dragons before Kadun and the most perfect creature of Sheenu.
Yet, there was no history left of Trakalnis in the world, and even Kadun himself would have a hard time recalling his name if he didn't concentrate.
The reason was none other than the fact that Trakalnis' death was the greatest "shame" of Sheenu and the Fire Dragons.
It was the will of Sheenu and the old Zipfel erased the history of Trakalnis to cover up that shame.
'Don't tell me she killed Trakalnis...… this demon dragon?'
Zephyrin smiled coldly, as if seeing through Kadun's thoughts.
"Perhaps Kadun is right. If you find it hard to believe, ask your god directly, Kadun. I'm not sure if Sheenu can restore that memory, but... "
Kadun looked away from Zephyrin's gaze.
He didn't recall the moment Trakalnis died, nor did any frightening memories come to mind. However, an inexplicable fear was slowly creeping into Kadun's heart.
-Even if I were facing you in your prime, I wouldn't have been that scared. The reason you don't know me well is that I couldn't fight you back then.
Jin was recalling the day when Zephyrin's true identity was first revealed at Black King Mountain and the words she had spoken to Murakan.
'Kadun dropped his tail at once...?'
Jin couldn't easily imagine their prime just by looking at Orgal, who was hunched over like a sick person, and Zephyrin that had been shown so far.
However, it was clear that Kadun was visibly shaken even when he spoke disrespectfully of Sheenu.
Octavia was most shocked by Kadun's reaction. Since Kadun had backed down, she couldn't express her anger towards Zephyrin anymore.
"Well, it seems like Kadun's curiosity has been satisfied. Shall we return to the main topic now?"
Zephyrin gestured towards Jin.
"… The atmosphere has soured for no reason. I didn't bring up this story with that intention, so I apologize to both sides."
"Sir Jin saved Zipfel's face, it's an important matter."
"If you intend to keep being so sarcastic, wake up Orgal, Zephyrin. I don't think we're here to have a war of nerves."
"That's why humans are not very good. Is it because their life is short that they have no courage? Anyway."
"Sir Ronil."
"Speak, sir Jin."
"Hister's survival is necessary for us to eliminate the common enemy. If it's difficult to open the holy land of Zipfel, please provide at least the tear of Numerus."
"I don't think we can even attach the words 'Tear of Numerus' to it. And we also do not own the tear of Numerus. Let me take a look at Hister first."
The task of showing Valeria, who had lost consciousness, to Zipfel. Even just doing that made Jin feel like he was committing a sin, but he had no choice but to do it to save her.
Since her appearance had already been exposed to Zipfel, there was no reason to be cautious and hide it.
After going to the hospital room and looking at Valeria, the leaders of Zipfel's side sighed or pointed their foreheads.
Even though they already knew the information, seeing it with their own eyes was another matter.
"... I can see why you asked for Numerus' tears first. Fatigue is an unavoidable state. Did Sir Jin keep the seal?"
"Impressive. There are only a few people in Zipfel who can maintain a seal like this."
"What shall we do then? If you can't open the Holy Land and there are no tears, then what? Just by exposing Hister to Zipfel, I have already suffered a loss, but I'll bury it and take care of it myself."
Jin meant that if you were not going to open up the Holy Land, you should leave immediately.
"This isn't a decision that we can make on our own, Sir Jin."
"Our side and Kinzelo are participating in the meeting with decision makers who can make an instant decision on the spot every time."
"I know that. I'll go back immediately...to inform my father of this situation and get an answer."
"We'll be looking forward to good news."
"Although everyone is trying to save Hyster for the temporary alliance as a whole, or more accurately, for their own desires, there will probably be a reasonable compensation needed for this, Sir Jin."
It was three days later that the leaders of Zipfel returned to Tikan.
This time, Ronil came alone with a few attendants without Kadun and Octavia.
"My father also said that there was no other way but to open the Holy Land. He allowed us to bring Hister to the Holy Land."
"What are your demands?"
"First, only Hister is allowed to enter the Holy Land. Second, as compensation for this incident, each alliance shares some information about chaos purification and control with Zipfel. This must be accompanied by the presence of the Az Mil contractor."
"I refuse."
Jin flatly rejected the proposal as if he had nothing more to hear.
"Well...then we can't save Hister."
"I heard from Orgal that if a complete mana body goes to your holy land, it leaves a kind of mana trace. Zipfel can receive a considerable reward just by studying that trace. We don't know how much damage that research will cause to us after the alliance is disbanded."
Jin shrugged his shoulders.
"Who benefits most from Hister's injury? It's Zipfel. We all want the Hister alive, but Zipfel can even research. So please don't be too greedy. If it breaks down this time, I'll leave all the talk about Hister aside. Don't push your luck."
"All right. If so, we will open the Holy Land without any conditions, but you must agree to move with your senses blocked as much as possible to prevent exposing the location of the Holy Land. Also, I don't want Lord Jin and Hister to have another escort."
The requirements were just words that Ronil had thrown out and these words were based on the opinions of the elders of the clan.
Ronil was not pleased with their opinions.
"I understand that much. When would be a good time to leave?"
"If it's okay with you, we can leave right away."
* * *
Since boarding Kozec, Jin had not taken a single step in the windowless cabin.
He just held onto the sealed Valeria tightly and waited for the ship to stop.
It wasn't until five days had passed since the ship had reached its destination.
"Thank you for your hard work, Sir Jin. You can come out now."
As soon as he got off the ship, Jin could tell that he was inside a huge building.
It was larger than the construction yard he had seen in the Sota Desert in the past.
Ronil guided Jin for about two hours. When they reached a door inside the building, Ronil stopped walking.
"This is as far as I can guide you. After this, I cannot access it, so someone else will help you."
There were only two Zipfel who could freely come and go through the door.
One was patriarch, Kelliark Zipfel, and the second was.
"Are you Jin Runcandel?"
The next patriarch, Veradin Zipfel, was approaching Jin from the other side.
The friend he had not seen in about three years greeted him with a dry voice instead of the usual cheerful one.
"Follow me, I will guide you to the Holy Land."
Jin felt extremely unfamiliar with Veradin's back as he walked ahead through the door and Jin saw a sword on Veradin's waist.