C404 - Emperor Sword Banquet (9)
Jin pulled the Red Ruby from his pocket and summoned Shuri.
[Nyaah!]
While Jin rode on Shuri, Ron cleared the path for them.
Thud!
Ron's sword's immense energy swept away the monsters in front of them in an instant.
Blood and flesh splattered like a fountain, and Shuri rushed through the chaos.
Seeing this, Murakan quickly descended and transformed into his human form.
He appeared as if a black wind was rushing toward Jin.
"Kid, where are you going?"
"I have to find Beradin."
"Why?"
"Kinzelo is behind this terrorist attack. Their goal is to instill hostilities between Hairan and Zipple."
Murakan tilted his head but soon showed an understanding expression.
"Well, I get the main point."
"Did you see Beradin from above?"
"No, it didn't seem like he was here."
"Go back up and check again. If you see him, let me know immediately. If not, you'll watch from above."
"Are you going to look for him alone? Who knows what kind of monsters might appear."
"They can't leave any evidence, and there shouldn't be anyone as formidable as Berakt. If I find myself in a situation I can't handle alone, I'll send a signal."
"Understood."
Murakan returned to his true form and ascended into the sky.
After observing for a while, Murakan was unable to find anything.
It meant that Beradin had already left the battlefield.
'There were also terrorist forces mixed among the audience. Beradin must be avoiding them.'
Who were the ones sitting near Beradin?
The masked royalty was the closest.
Given that Beradin was the next patriarch of Zipple, it was natural that he could stand shoulder to shoulder with Vermont's royalty as well.
The most reasonable assumption was that Beradin had been attacked by them and was fleeing.
There were Jin, Lata, and Ron.
In the front of the battlefield where the outer wall had collapsed.
Since that was the only way out, excluding the inner passage, it was impossible for Beradin to have escaped.
'They took advantage of the Imperial Family always wearing masks, those bastards from Kinzelo.'
Jin thought as he changed direction, choosing to first examine the inside of the castle.
However, they couldn't use the usual passageway.
The hallways were still completely congested with knights trying to evacuate the usual guests.
Without hesitation, Jin unsheathed his sword.
Shriek!
In one swift motion, the thick wall was cut like a sheet of paper.
The rear Warriors were fighting to stop the approaching monsters and protect the guests, and they couldn't make their way through because of the pressure of damaging the castle wall.
Thump!
The square-cut wall fell with a heavy thud.
"Move to the passageway!"
Jin shouted before leaving the central arena.
The inside of the castle was equally chaotic.
Servants were running frantically, and living golems were occasionally seen coming through the outer wall.
When a group of servants was about to be attacked by a living golem, Shuri leaped forward and struck it with her front paw.
When its head exploded, the servants let out a collective scream, and their faces turned pale.
"Thank you!"
"Have you seen Beradin?"
"Who?"
"Beradin Zipple. He has long white hair and wears a white robe."
"I haven't seen him."
"But, Jin-nim. Although we haven't seen Beradin-nim, there was also a commotion near the castle's ceramic store."
They were the servants responsible for the store.
"Tell me more."
"We heard that the terrorist attack was starting in the central training field and tried to spread the news to others. However, there was a sudden explosion in the store, and we were in the middle of trying to escape."
"I don't know the details, but it seemed the explosion had been caused by magic. Guards went in to investigate, but we haven't heard anything since."
As soon as Jin entered the castle, it seemed he had a lead.
"Where is the warehouse?"
"I'll personally guide you there."
"I can't guarantee your safety. You'd better draw me a map."
The servant hurriedly took out paper and a pen from his pocket and drew a map.
"Here it is."
"Other servants might be coming out soon. So, don't move and wait here."
Jin followed the map and headed to the ceramic store.
The ceramic store was one of the largest in the Emperor Sword Castle, housing over 90% of the ceramics gathered for more than a hundred years, since the previous patriarch.
The entrance to the store was completely destroyed.
Embers were visible here and there.
It's not regular fire; these are traces of flame-type magic.
'And it's at least 9 stars.'
Beradin's primary attribute was fire.
When Jin entered...
Ceramic fragments crumbled under Shuri's steps.
And there were traces of other types of magic, not just fire.
Earth, ice, lightning.
And darkness.
Clusters of dark mana that looked like black beads were rolling around.
Jin hadn't seen much dark magic, but it was unmistakably that, or he couldn't explain the shape it took.
'The Dark Magic Society was completely destroyed, so where did Kinzelo find mages like this?'
It was impossible for a renowned high mage to have participated in the attack on Hairan.
Mages like Chukon Tolderer, Susan Lillista, or Kidard Halll are already dead.
There had to be more unknown mages within Kinzelo, or they had allies.
Finding Beradin was Jin's immediate priority.
It was clear that fierce battles had already taken place, so the situation was urgent.
All that could be seen were shattered ceramics and debris, and it seemed that Beradin and Kinzelo's terrorists had already moved elsewhere.
Apart from the entrance, there were no battle signs inside the warehouse.
There had to be another passage leading to the ceramic store.
The map showed another passage leading to the ceramic store.
It was long and dark.
Even after riding Shuri for a while, the passage continued.
But Jin stopped Shuri as he ran after seeing the corpses.
Three bodies lay there, and they were Beradin's bodyguards from the banquet, although not all of them.
Still, it wasn't difficult to deduce that Beradin was in trouble, given the situation.
When Jin exited the passage, a drainage canal appeared before him.
One of the ceramic store's passages served as an emergency escape route.
Above Jin's head, the dark sky was tense with Shadow Energy.
The distant explosions and shockwaves from the battlefield continued to signal the ongoing conflict.
In which direction should he go?
There were no visible tracks, and there were too many obstacles to find the route using earth or wind magic.
As Jin contemplated, he saw a faint glimmer of light in the distance.
It was a familiar light that appeared when the Flame Orb erupted, and it was unmistakably Beradin's magic.
And as soon as he saw that magic, Jin was certain that Beradin was already "injured."
Beradin had reached 9 stars, but the magic felt unstable and weak.
"Let's go, Shuri!"
[Nyaaah!]
Finally, Jin spotted Beradin in the open field.
Beradin, with the two bodyguards left, was locked in battle with gray-robed mages, along with the living golems they commanded.
"Beradin!"
Beradin turned his head at the sound of Jin's voice.
Jin?
Zzz!
The living golems surrounding Beradin exploded as Jin unleashed lightning bolts.
Jin hurriedly checked Beradin's condition.
Blood was dripping from his lips, and his body was covered in wounds.
Fortunately, there were no fatal injuries, but the bleeding was severe. If the battle had continued, he could have easily died.
"I knew you would come," Beradin said with a slight smile, and his words had a strange meaning.
"What do you know? You got yourself into this mess, and these guys gave you a beating."
"They're quite powerful. It makes me wonder if there are mages like them among the ones I don't know. At first, I thought they might be my aunt's subordinates."
At that moment, a question crossed Jin's mind.
Was Beradin truly in perfect condition?
Even if he wasn't in perfect shape, rescuing Beradin was still the top priority. However, a strange thought suddenly occurred to him.
Why hadn't Beradin sent a rescue signal even once on his way here?
Even if he didn't have a signal flare on him because he was attending the banquet...
He could have used magic to send a signal at any time.
Even if he was being attacked by those disguised as royalty among the audience, he could have shouted.
Surely there would have been many other Warriors who would have come to his aid.
If his mind was manipulated, then he deliberately prepared this situation.
It would be advantageous for Zipple in multiple ways if Hairan got into trouble.
Jin thought again about the traces of magic that remained in the ceramic store.
Upon reflection, there were certain artificial aspects in those mana traces.
In particular, the traces of dark magic stood out conspicuously, as if it were evidence that Beradin had fought alone against those using dark magic.
All of this within the heavily guarded Emperor Sword Castle.
But when Jin looked back at Beradin, who sighed in relief upon seeing him, he appeared to be the same old white-haired fool.
'I can't be certain. Just like at the banquet.'
Jin turned and looked at the gray-robed figures.
The gray-robed ones had momentarily halted their attacks upon Jin's arrival, and though their robes concealed their expressions, they appeared perplexed.
"Beradin Zipple."
"Yes, Jin."
"Why didn't you send a distress signal?"
"I didn't have a chance. I was attacked from the audience, and I had to escape. I didn't think of anything else."
It was the expected response, but Jin still couldn't shake the feeling that Beradin's mind was at least "not entirely" intact.
"I, Jin Runcandel, the Twelfth Flagbearer of Runcandel, have come to rescue you under a special order from Ron-nim, Lord of the Emperor Sword Castle. Make sure to remember this fact. Understood?"
"...I understand. I am in debt to Ron-nim."
"Your escort guards are recovering. I will take care of these bastards."
As Jin increased his energy, small stones from the field began to float in the air.
The gray robes also began to release their mana once more.
They definitely weren't at the Specter Corps level.
Although they didn't reach the Specter Corps' level, they were still skilled mages.
If their true intent were to kill Beradin, they would have attacked him within the Emperor Sword Castle.
They intentionally sent just enough for Beradin to barely escape.
If they sent four mages because they believed Beradin could handle himself in a fight...
It means they are too insignificant to pose a threat to Jin.
Jin only needed to be cautious of the dark magic.
"Don't even think about coming out of this alive."
As Sigmund started to shine, mana swirled and accumulated in Jin's palm.
It was the legacy of the Archmage Kidard Hall: Reverse Sky.
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