C730
June 20, 1803.
The decisive battle had begun.
A fleet of about five hundred battleships and more than six hundred dragons soared through the darkened sky of Hufester.
The night that would determine the fate of humanity was passing slowly and painfully, like the passage of years.
From time to time, the knights and Magicians aboard the battleships, as well as the demons and beastmen, were caught in an illusion that seemed like a faint breeze blowing through the air.
Deep terror can transform into such a sensory experience.
The elite warriors on each side, who had been through numerous life-and-death situations, were intensely focused on their strategies.
If they lost concentration even for a moment, it seemed as if fear would pierce their souls like a sword. It seemed impossible to fight.
It wasn't because they lacked strength.As the Grave of Swords drew closer, the influence of the evil god grew stronger, like the deepening of the night.
"There could be a labyrinth even in the sky... The course should be exact, so why haven't we observed Hufester's fortress yet?"
Beradin spoke. Due to the thick fog of chaos that had clouded their vision for some time, the fleet couldn't pick up speed.
The reconnaissance led by Orgal was in a similar situation.
The true chaos spread by Hufester had made it impossible for even its steel gate to open and close freely.
However, Beradin soon realized.
"...We were already close."
As if a door had suddenly opened, the fog cleared, revealing an absurdly enormous fortress before their eyes.
The fog had been continuously hiding the castle.
The fortress, completed by the evil god in just two days, showed that the reports of its walls were not exaggerated in the slightest.
The hundreds of battleships and dragons seemed insignificant in front of that fortress, mere fleeting beings.
The end of the world.
Those who confirmed the evil god's fortress could not help but think the same.
This was, indeed, the end of the world.
"Young Patriarch! The sky... is opening!"
The cloud of chaos spreading over the fortress was splitting in half.
What weighed down and distorted nature was the colossal flagship symbolizing the power of the evil god.
The shadow of "Ram" cast a dark silhouette over the entire sky and earth.
The dragons, feeling the enormous weight, struggled to fly, and the Magicians who maintained the fleet's energy source were sweating profusely.
In reality, the altitude was decreasing.
It was as if an invisible hand was lightly pressing down on the temporary alliance's fleet.
No matter how hard the dragons and Magicians tried, they couldn't maintain altitude.
The pressure ceased when the fleet stopped halfway to the fortress wall.
"So it seems impossible to fly over the abode of the gods..."
When it comes to facing a god, it was appropriate to start the battle from a higher position than that.
Beradin understood this phenomenon.
If they couldn't penetrate directly, they wouldn't be able to enter the fortress.
"It was expected that penetrating the fortress from within would be impossible. Everyone, do not attempt to increase altitude, but calmly prepare to deploy the protective barriers. The welcoming ceremony will begin soon." ℞₳ΝɵＢƐＳ
Additionally, Kadun, Orgal, and Bale took their positions at the center of the fleet formation.
It was preparation to block Ram's main cannon, an experience they had undergone during the first initial battle.
Grooooar!
However, what suddenly resonated was not a roar, but the mournful howl of the Chaos Dragons.
They displayed much greater strength than they had experienced during the first initial battle or the Rikalton war.
The power of the evil god was amplifying the strength of the Chaos Dragons.
The Chaos Dragons surged from beneath Ram, surpassing several thousand in an instant.
Ram never stopped spewing Chaos Dragons and Black Ships for even a moment.
The welcoming ceremony Beradin had anticipated was not this.
"Instead of firing the main cannon, they are sending Chaos Dragons and Black Ships."
The course of the battle showed a difficult-to-understand flow from the start.
If a number of Chaos Dragons and Black Ships similar to them appeared, the sky would naturally descend into chaos.
Even if it were the evil god, they would not fire Ram's main cannon in the middle of a sky mixed with allies.
'Is it trying to conserve the energy used by the main cannon? Or is it because it believes that after inducing chaotic battle with such force, it can eliminate us together?'
As Beradin pondered to that point, an urgent report came from the lookout.
"Young Patriarch! It is reported that Ram's power has been cut off!"
"What did you say?"
"It is reported that the movement of the main cannon, which was being revealed as Ram's central part, has suddenly ceased. The chaos gathering around the main cannon has also dispersed."
Ram's power itself was the embodiment of the evil god's power.
If the power was cut off, it meant the evil god had encountered a problem, and the Chaos Dragons and Black Ships shouldn't have been strengthened.
'The evil god's power remains intact, but only the connection with Ram has been cut...?'
Lynn Milcano.
Except for the Varmel alliance, the temporary alliance was unaware of her betrayal.
Therefore, they had no idea why Ram suddenly stopped.
"Young Patriarch, we may not know the cause, but this is an opportunity. We must break through before Ram resumes its operation."
Octavia said.
Beradin thought the same. There was no reason to disagree. However, an inexplicable unease clouded his mind.
But soon, Beradin decided to give the order to break through. There was no evidence to dispel his unease.
"...Change the formation to a breakthrough formation. Among the three individuals responsible for defending the main cannons, the fire dragon Kadun and the knight Bale will take the lead, and Orgal, continue preparing for defense."
As the fleet began changing formation, the evil god's air forces also began blocking their way.
"Position the gunners. From now until the breakthrough is complete, I authorize autonomous fire."
As soon as the order was given, the entire fleet began firing simultaneously. From the direction of the castle, the breath of the Chaos Dragons and the bombardment of the Black Ships flew towards them.
The continuous thunderous noise filled the air, and the chaotic light created by the collisions of the bombardments spread chaotically.
"I will go out now, Young Patriarch."
"I wish you luck, Spectre Captain."
Octavia stepped onto the deck.
She and the other giants revealed themselves on the decks of each fleet.
The swordsmanship of Hedo, Dante's invisible sword, Syris' Full Ice, Valkas' Black King's Fist, Amela's war machines, Harmilla of Yulian's thunder bow, Berakt and Bianca's great sword techniques, Ranke's rampage, Octavia's light magic, and the Spectre's linking magic, among others.
All these techniques were massacring the gathering enemy forces.
The most outstanding among them was Bale, leading the vanguard.
Every time his golden wings flapped, hundreds of Chaos Dragons and Black Ships disintegrated into particles and vanished.
Bale in aerial combat was truly a disaster.
It was impossible to intercept his speed, and he alone handled the attack range of an entire fleet.
Ram's main cannons remained closed.
The continuous influx of Chaos Dragons and Black Ships from below posed no significant threat.
In principle, a war of attrition made no sense against the current temporary alliance.
Unless a force capable of dispersing the giants' power appeared, breaking through to the front of the castle was only a matter of time.
However, about ten minutes later, the temporary alliance encountered another unexpected situation.
"A purple barrier is forming ahead!"
"The barrier is pulling the fleet...!"
It was about 2.5 km from reaching the castle.
The fleet's speed began to accelerate faster than the set speed due to the gravitational force of the purple barrier formed around the castle.
The evil god's air forces were not affected by the barrier.
While the fleet slowed down for a moment, the enemy's counterattack continued.
Most of the personnel on deck struggled to resist the gravitational force, clinging to something and deploying their defensive barriers, unable to fight properly.
The vanguard dragons were being sucked into the barrier.
Bale exercised his golden authority to pull some of them out of the barrier, but it was inevitable that some would be trapped inside.
[Kahh!]
[Kruh...]
The dragons trapped in the barrier let out desperate cries. They crumpled like pieces of paper as soon as they touched the barriers.
The situation where the fleet couldn't easily escape from the opposite side of the barrier continued.
"Fortunately, the barrier is not completely impervious to physical attacks."
Every time the fleet's artillery hit the barriers, cracks appeared.
"But the speed at which the cracks heal is too fast. It will take too long to break through them with just artillery."
One by one, the battleships began to sink, overwhelmed by the Chaos Dragons and Black Ships.
Beradin closely observed the situation.
He realized that the cracks caused by attacks from individuals with special powers, like Bale, took noticeably longer to heal compared to normal artillery strikes.
Therefore, Orgal and Bale had to be at the forefront to destroy the barriers. However, the forces of chaos were aware of this and pressed the two relentlessly.
"Switch Orgal and Kadun's positions."
"It will take some time. The Chaos Dragons have taken the rear."
Orgal, who had been prepared for defense all along, was dealing with them, holding off the battleships that were being dragged towards the barrier.
Bale, at the front, was in a similar situation, so it would take time to change their formation and break through the barriers with them at the center.
At that moment, someone who had been in the Kozec training room revealed himself for the first time.
"Beradin."
"I was about to call you."
Jin, the Magic Swordsman with unique powers.
"Did your meditation go well?"
As the fleet advanced towards the evil god's fortress, Jin had been meditating alone in the training room for the last time.
It was a meditation to imagine the individual battle against Rosa, where he would face her only with his sword techniques.
Jin gazed at the evil god's fortress, faintly visible beyond the purple barrier.
Deep within that fortress, Rosa was probably imagining her confrontation with him.
Jin nodded slowly.
Then flames ignited on Beradin's staff.
It was the "Fire Seal" that Kelliac had used in the past during the Battle of the Sword Emperor Castle.
When Beradin began to wave his staff in the air, a giant shining script appeared in the dark night sky, engraved in crimson.
Jin Runcandel descends.
As if a cannon had opened, the front window of Kozec opened.
Jin grabbed Bradamante, which was imbued with Shadow Energy, and hurled himself into the battlefield.
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