Chapter 808
Before the evil god war began, Zipple closed all Magic Towers except the First Magic Tower.
Then, they supplied fleets and troops to each federal region and built new Magic Towers of various ranks.
The second-class Magic Tower that the Red Legend Tribe invaded was one of the mid-class Magic Towers.
It was filled with around fifty ships and around a thousand Magicians.
The flagship was of the Arcadia class from the fifth fleet of Zipple headquarters, and the Tower Master was an 8-star Magician of non-Zipple origin.
However, they also deployed two squads each of the Spectre Corps and the Phantom Corps (intelligence division), who had combat capabilities that surpassed the Tower Master.
They weren’t considered elite, but they were far from inadequate.
And it only took 30 minutes for the Red Legend Tribe to reduce the second-class Magic Tower to rubble.
“Does this mean there was such a significant difference in the fleet’s power?” Beradin asked.The land where the second-class Magic Tower stood so grandly was now completely in ruins.
The fragments of black bone left in the ruins hinted at the extreme cruelty of the Red Legend Tribe’s bombardment.
The survivors of the attack were only two members of Sartin’s Phantom Corps.
“Yes, Patriarch-nim. Suddenly, a giant dimensional portal opened in the sky, and over a hundred Red Legend Tribe warships emerged, surpassing our fleet’s performance by far. Although most of our allied fleet couldn’t properly get out, even if we had fought with preparations in place, the only difference would be in the duration of the battle; the outcome wouldn’t have been different.”
The surviving Phantom Corps members explained the situation to Beradin with their heads bowed.
“Did it seem like the enemy fleet was superior to what Jin faced?”
“Yes. Although the Red Legend Tribe barely revealed themselves, it seemed like the commanding officer wasn’t Rakiman Hog, but someone else.”
“What is your basis for making that claim?”
“The insignia on their fleet was different.”
“Is that all? Does that mean they didn’t make any declaration of war or state their intention to attack us?”
“They didn’t say a single word. They began their bombardment as soon as the dimensional portal opened. The top of the Magic Tower collapsed with the first bombardment, resulting in the Tower Master’s death, and although I took command and immediately initiated a response, I couldn’t do anything.”
Literally, the Red Legend Tribe silently unleashed a one-sided massacre and disappeared in an instant, just like Dyfus and Joshua, who were contaminated by chaos before the evil god war.
It was an attack that could only be possible with large-scale teleportation.
However, unlike that time, the Red Legend Tribe didn’t cause any damage to civilians.
They completely destroyed only the Magic Towers and left.
“Originally, I wanted to meet them once and have a conversation, but they came out like this first, so we have no choice but to fight. It feels like they’ve already joined forces with other people. They must be crazy bastards. Why the hell did they attack us? It can’t be just to show their strength.”
“After the Magic Tower was destroyed, warriors descended from their ships. I saw them capture powerful Magicians who survived the bombardment. They almost captured us too.”
“It doesn’t seem like they intend to use them as prisoners. If they did, they would have attacked the Tower Master or other factors first and stated their demands before leaving,” Beradin recalled what Sanna recently told him.
“Moreover, according to the Priestess, among the ancient races of the underworld, there are those who nourish themselves with the blood of other beings. It seems to be the Red Legend Tribe. I also heard that there were almost no bodies left in Kinzelo’s territory that was destroyed. It must be because they took all the bodies to extract their blood.”
Sigh…
Beradin exhaled heavily and lowered his head.
“We are shameful.”
The Phantom Corps members lowered their heads.
“You are not to blame. On the contrary, you have largely informed us of the scale and combat capabilities of the attackers. If they have any desires, speak to the Magistrate.”
Beradin dismissed the Phantom Corps members and looked at his executives.
“…I never expected to be attacked like this by anyone other than Runcandel or Kinzelo. It hasn’t been long since you became patriarch, but such a situation happened at this exact time. It’s an event that could shake the prestige.”
“It doesn’t matter, since the clan’s prestige was already ruined by Jin in the past. The problem isn’t the immediate damage to our prestige or the losses, but the fact that we couldn’t respond to their attack at all, Spectre Captain. Since they reaped the harvest without any damage, they will continue to attack various regions of the Federation in this manner.”
“For the time being, all regions will have to maintain a constant state of emergency. Although, given the serious gap in fleet capabilities, I am worried.”
“For now, we only need to hold out until we realize the attacks and send reinforcements. We held out for 30 minutes when we were attacked in a defenseless state, so if we were at full strength, we could hold out for at least two hours.”
“It doesn’t seem like there are any restrictions on the Red Legend Tribe’s dimensional teleportation, Sir Patriarch. They might not be able to carry out attacks with fleets exceeding a hundred each time. If they attack our regions with smaller forces, we can buy more time.”
“I agree, Elder Brother Ronil. We should prioritize deploying the small, high-speed experimental ships to all regions. This way, we can immediately report any place that’s attacked.”
Due to the lingering chaos left by Gliek, all land portals remain closed.
Except for the few who have teleportation or long-range communication capabilities, Zipple’s high-speed ships are currently the fastest means of transportation in the human world.
“From now on, the war with the Red Legend Tribe begins. With limited information, we will have to fight disadvantageous battles for the time being. The most urgent task is to discover their headquarters.”
“I will issue an order to capture at least one Red Legend Tribe member alive in each battle. Even if it involves some sacrifice.”
“Please do, Elder Brother Ronil. Even if we lose another Magic Tower, it will be more beneficial to capture a Red Legend Tribe member. And don’t hide what happened today. It was already so devastating that we can’t hide it anyway.”
If the Demon God Orb were in a more complete state, such a misfortune could be hidden through history manipulation, but now it’s impossible.
“What should we do?”
“Jin, publish the articles about the suspicious ties between the Vamel Alliance and the Red Legend Tribe.”
“Understood.”
“It’s an obvious provocation, but the important thing is to make the public realize that the new threat of the Red Legend Tribe emerging on the surface originated from Jin. Hurry up. It’s better if the articles come out before the Red Legend Tribe attacks Runcandel or the Vamel Alliance.”
“Yes, Patriarch-nim. In fact, the Red Legend Tribe deliberately excluded civilian casualties, so there are similarities to the Vamel Alliance’s methods. We will focus on that and publish articles.”
“But it’s strange, Patriarch. According to the Phantom Corps’ report, it seems like the Red Legend Tribe already had some kind of grudge or enmity with Jin, so I don’t understand why they would attack us so fiercely. It’s obvious that the Garden of Swords or Tikan would be difficult to attack, if they attacked Hufester and the Empire’s castles and fortresses, they could have inflicted significant damage.”
Ronil nodded in agreement with Octavia’s words. Beradin narrowed his eyes.
“Fear.”
“…Patriarch?”
“I have a feeling they are afraid of Jin. Not long ago, the commander-level Red Legend and his fleet at Kinzelo’s third branch were about to be annihilated. The reason why they attacked us first and excluded civilian casualties might be because they don’t want to provoke Jin for the time being.”
Beradin turned and walked towards Kozec.
“Therefore, let’s make it clear who the most terrifying opponent is from now on.”
***
“Beradin will undoubtedly spread the news that we awakened the Red Legend Tribe. Not only did Runcandel give birth to the evil god, but he is now once again threatening the surface by joining forces with the underworld forces. Judging by Beradin’s recent activities in the public opinion war, it seems certain.”
Jin accurately predicted Beradin’s movements.
“It’s your specialty to undermine prestige, but Zipple is engaging in the public opinion war more frequently than usual. Weren’t we supposed to ignore those things now? It feels like there’s something more than just trying to create a pretext for war, as if there’s another reason.”
“Yes, Miss Quikantel. Just a sudden thought, but perhaps this ongoing public opinion war, whose goal is to make people believe that the threat to the surface comes from me, is an underlying preparation for future history manipulation. If there are many people who believe it, it becomes easier to manipulate.”
“Wow… that gives me chills, Young Master Jin. It could be possible. But we have Valeria, so we’ll be fine!”
“It’s just speculation, Enya. In any case, the immediate concern is Zipple’s and the Red Legend Tribe’s movements. This time they targeted Zipple, but next time it could be us or the Empire. We have Mort, communication devices, and the Red Owl, so we can respond much faster than Zipple, but we lack fleets. We can’t send fully prepared fleets to all regions like Zipple.”
The underground shipyard in the Sword Emperor’s territory hasn’t been completed yet.
“We haven’t finished mass-producing the Iello units either. And we haven’t deployed magic knight units in all regions either. So, for now, we need to increase the production speed of communication devices and supply them to major strongholds and fortresses. In case of a Red Legend Tribe attack, I and other superhumans can be called upon and be able to provide support at any time.”
In other words, what Runcandel and the Vamel Alliance needed most was time.
[Jin, the speed at which they are moving is worrying. Whether it’s remnants of the imperial family or someone they’ve made deals with, they must be individuals who know the Red Legend Tribe well. They are supplying what the Red Legend Tribe needs to regain their power: the blood of exceptional individuals and information about the surface.]
“Ameris-nim, didn’t you mention last time that the Red Legend Tribe has a technology that can resurrect fallen warriors to fight again?”
[Yes, that’s correct. The Red Legend Tribe creates a living weapon called the Immortal Arm, using the illuminated hearts of fallen warriors. Why are you suddenly asking about that?]
A ominous thought came to Jin’s mind.
“If it’s true that they made a deal with the remnants of the imperial family… The biggest price they could get from the Red Legend Tribe is the technology to turn Temar’s body into a weapon.”
Jin kept that thought to himself and shook his head.
“It’s nothing. I just had a sudden thought. For now, I will return to my Family to check the deployment of forces. If there is any urgent matter that needs to be reported, please contact me.”
“Understood, Young Master.”
As Jin rode the Red Owl towards the Garden of Swords, at that moment, the Red Legend Tribe was opening dimensional portals above the sky of the human world for an invasion.
It’s the sky above the land that is guarded by Dante, the Empire.