C703 "How much damage has been done?"
"It's severe. The capital of the Milkun Kingdom has vanished without a trace, and the estimated number of civilian deaths is at least two hundred thousand."
When Jin heard the figure of two hundred thousand, he thought his ears had deceived him.
"...Did you say two hundred thousand?"
If that was true, then Dyfus had committed an irreparable massacre of civilians.
The Tona brothers, who were also listening, clenched their fists, and Mary’s face turned pale.
She struggled to contain her emotions as her trembling fists betrayed her.
Even if Dyfus escaped from the clutches of chaos in the future, such a great tragedy could not be forgotten.
It was driving the brothers mad.
"...And the number of hostages is at least ten thousand."As Kashimir continued his explanation with a somber expression, Jin felt as if his entire body was submerged in water.
'Rosa... that crazy monster...!'
A massive catastrophe had occurred, caused by the brother who had turned into a weapon of war under Rosa's command.
Jin's eyes trembled as he looked at Kashimir.
"If there are only ten thousand hostages, did the Chaos Dragon and the Black Ships move?"
"Yes, they simultaneously attacked the Lutero Magical Federation under Sir Dyfus's command. It is believed they used teleportation abilities or the invocation of a malignant god in the form of massive portals and dimensional tunnels."
The Lutero Magical Federation was unable to mount a proper defense.
Hundreds of black ships and thousands of Chaos Dragons suddenly emerged from tunnels and dimensional portals, and unless it was the Drakka fortress, there was no way to respond quickly.
Moreover, Dyfus executed a double operation.
At first, he appeared with a fleet as if to launch a large-scale attack, then quickly disappeared like smoke while Zipple gathered their forces, spreading across the Federation.
In less than an hour.
Dyfus's army of chaos inflicted significant damage on Zipple and managed to escape.
Drakka’s forces could not keep up with the mobility of the chaos army.
Additionally, Dyfus’s prowess in battle was also a problem.
Octavia and the Spectre Squad were unable to penetrate the overwhelming chaos during the pursuit even once.
The world's strongest clan had been defeated without even being able to use their abilities properly.
The affected areas of the Federation, including the Milkun Kingdom, were currently in a state of absolute chaos.
The chaos left behind by Dyfus had grown uncontrollably like a raging wildfire, continuing to plunge the remaining civilians into agony.
If the death toll exceeded 200,000, that meant there were many more injured.
Even the Holy Kingdom, which had blocked all communication with Zipple, immediately sent healers upon hearing the news.
Fear was spreading rapidly like madness.
Many claimed that even if any monster appeared in the world, the Zipple territory, once considered the safest refuge, had fallen so defenseless that the end caused by chaos was only a matter of time.
As Kashimir explained these details, Jin held his breath.
What he had to do was not succumb to despair, but stop Dyfus as soon as possible, starting now.
He had to assess the situation accurately.
"I must go to Drakka immediately. There may be attacks from the malignant god while I’m away, so please activate all the defense systems."
Now that it had been revealed that Rosa had abilities like large-scale teleportation, battles could erupt suddenly at any moment.
A large-scale summoning or teleportation ability like that surely had some restrictions.
It might involve the use of humans or desperation. I wonder if the reason for kidnapping the hostages was to compensate for that.
The fear experienced by those already under the direct control of the malignant god, and the sudden fear felt by those who had thought they were "safe" in their land.
The magnitude of the resulting despair would undoubtedly be different.
It was impossible to know immediately if Rosa had enough power to mobilize her forces.
"Understood, young master."
"And where is Syris-nim?"
"She has just returned from the Holy Kingdom."
"Young master, it would be better for me to go to Kinzelo with Lady Syris's help. Additionally, I will inspect the Empire. There is a possibility they may have been attacked as well."
"Agreed."
Jin and Kashimir turned and moved forward, while Mary, despite her heart breaking, turned toward the infirmary.
She had to overcome the feeling of imminent collapse.
"Soon there will be a great battle. To fight properly, we must focus on recovery. Prepare the knights of our clan," she ordered.
"Yes, Elder Sister!"
As Jin headed to the Red Owl’s launch site, reports from the Seven-Colored Peacocks kept coming in without pause.
The real-time updates on the extent of the damage were presented as unimaginable numbers of dead, making it difficult to grasp reality.
Jin suddenly stopped in his tracks.
He was standing in front of Euria’s room and could hear suppressed sobs beyond the closed door.
As a contractor of Az Mil, she had long felt the ominous premonition of this situation.
Perhaps Euria already knew the outcome of this crisis.
Jin gently comforted her with a few strokes before resuming his path to the launch site.
Regardless of what Euria had seen, he was determined to create a future better than what she had witnessed.
The Red Owl couldn’t locate the coordinates of Zipple’s headquarters.
Jin had been thrown into a forest on the outskirts of Drakka, but upon arrival, he immediately encountered Ronil Zipple.
It seemed Ronil knew and had been waiting for the Red Owl’s arrival.
"Are you here, Sir Jin?"
Jin didn’t ask how he knew beforehand and had waited.
It wasn’t a situation where he could find out, and the most important thing now was Dyfus.
"Sir Ronil."
"Thank you for coming so quickly. Please, let me serve you."
The district where Jin had landed had been attacked by Dyfus.
As it wasn’t near the main base, the entire city was engulfed in fear.
Because the disasters that occurred in Milkun and other parts of the Federation couldn’t be concealed through media control.
"While we were requesting support from Tikan, there was another assault."
Ronil spoke as they boarded the fourth flagship, Andion.
"During that time, was there another large-scale troop movement?"
"No, there wasn’t. Dyfus Runcandel, accompanied by two Black Knights, attacked the Barkle district. As we were prepared, civilian casualties were not significant, but... the Spectre Squad captain suffered severe injuries-nim. Kadun entered combat before fully recovering, leading to further injuries."
Elder Brother Dyfus...
Just as Jin was about to speak, he looked out the battleship’s window.
The land was now filled with people who had been killed or injured.
"...... What happened to the Fourth Flagbearer?"
"He managed to escape without any casualties, just like in the first attack. It seems he received significant power from the malignant god......."
According to Ronil, Dyfus not only possessed the ability to teleport across dimensions and through the Prophet’s Tunnel thanks to the malignant god’s power, but also had flight capabilities similar to Bale.
With his overwhelming mobility, he attacked and evaded repeatedly, like a ghost of despair.
The manifestation of the Malignant God.
That’s how Zipple categorized it. Dyfus possessed power that couldn’t be explained without acknowledging the influence of the malignant god.
Andion arrived at Zipple’s main house.
The castle, known as the headquarters of magic, was completely open and bustling with civilians, unlike its usual state. It was sheltering the terrified civilians.
Some of them pointed fingers and whispered as Jin disembarked from the Andion, or bowed their heads as if a savior had arrived.
The first group was wary of Jin, knowing he was a Runcandel like the malignant god and Dyfus, and the second was due to his achievements.
Just as Ronil was about to order the crowd to disperse, Jin stopped him.
"It’s better to leave them alone."
Jin walked past them and entered the mansion.
Inside and out, Zipple’s partners were in constant motion.
The only ones not running were the highest-ranking elders.
They weren’t as polite as Ronil, not even when they saw Jin approaching hastily.
Rather, many frowned or showed open hostility, as if disgusted.
Of course, since Jin didn’t even notice the old killifish's growls due to the situation, the elders naturally seemed to follow Jin and Ronil.
They seemed to be aware that they needed to hear the upcoming conversation between the chief decision-maker and Jin.
After passing through two hallways, they arrived at the office of Zipple’s patriarch. There was Beradin, where Kelliark should have been.
"We meet again like this, Jin."
"Beradin."
Despite the numerous civilian casualties and the injuries sustained by Octavia and Kadun, as well as the significant losses of their forces under Zipple’s protection, Beradin didn’t show the slightest hint of remorse. Instead, he frowned, seemingly annoyed by the elders who followed Jin.
"Why have the elders come here?"
"What do you mean, young patriarch? Naturally, we want to attend the meeting..."
"If you’re incompetent, at least be aware of the situation and busy yourself with something else. Well, now that you’ve come this far, listen if you’re curious. It won’t take long."
The elders frowned, but they didn’t dare to rebut Beradin’s words.
"It seemed chaotic out there."
"I can’t help but feel that your indifferent attitude contradicts that. I just heard that the Fourth Flagbearer attacked the Barkle district. Is there a reason why you’re so unconcerned?"
"A hundred civilians died. Although the Spectre captain and Sir Kadun were injured, the Fourth Flagbearer didn’t suffer any damage even after facing them. If that’s the case, there must be a reason he stopped, though they could have turned the Barkle district into ruins and advanced towards Drakka."
"Then why did you urgently request support from the Vamel Alliance? Is it for after the recovery?"
Beradin smiled contentedly at that question.
"It’s a strange question. It’s a temporary alliance, so isn’t it natural to ask for support? Above all, we need to prevent the growing despair that the malignant god acquires... We need to rescue the hostages. With the Second and Fourth Flagbearers starting their activities, the despair that binds the malignant god is rapidly increasing."
When Beradin mentioned "despair," Jin’s pupils dilated.
Zipple already knew the extent of the despair harvested by Rosa.
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