C450 - Zephyrin (6)
"And bring healers and poison masters who can detoxify immediately."
The Black Knight no longer trembled.
He only exhaled weak breaths of air and seemed on the verge of death.
Members carefully carried the Black Knight.
"We must keep him alive at all costs. If he dies, it won't be good for the Black King's Mercenaries or for me. Especially the situation of the Black King's Mercenaries will become even more complicated."
"Don't worry, Jin-nim!"
Third Captain Murka replied, and healers and doctors from the Black King's Mercenaries crowded around the injured knight.
"On the contrary, if we manage to save him, it will be a great advantage for both me and the Black King's Mercenaries."
If the Black Knight died in the Black King's Mountain, it would provide Joshua with a pretext to pressure Valkas, regardless of the circumstances.
However, if the situation were reversed, it would be Valkas who could demand compensation, not Joshua.
Jin wouldn't lose the most powerful asset of his Family, and maybe he could even negotiate directly with the Black Knight.
"We've saved people in worse situations before."
"We will definitely keep him alive!"
Clang!
The medical team began emergency treatment, and as soon as they rushed out, an unexpected explosion followed by tremors shook the entire Black King's Mountain.
Shadow Energy, demonic energy, and aura erupted through the narrow subspace crack like a volcanic eruption.
Since Jin had escaped the subspace, the battlefield had become even more chaotic.
A monster is a monster.
It's revealing more power even though it's severely outnumbered and cornered due to the subspace rupture.
Murakan had thought that it wasn't necessary for Jin to return, but he was still worried.
He needed to evacuate the Black King's Mercenaries as soon as possible and then join the battle.
"... What kind of battle is raging inside there? Are you sure Zephyrin was really that monster?"
The Second Captain expressed his despair with a somber voice.
The sight of Zephyrin, transformed into her human form, fighting against her leader, Murakan, and Jin was utterly unbelievable.
Lately...
Zephyrin had been the troublemaker of the Black King's Mercenaries.
She made life difficult for all the veteran members and administrators.
However, on the other hand, she was the youngest member who, despite getting scolded every day and getting into trouble, couldn't help but spread her unique lively and cheerful energy, making it hard to dislike her.
However, that Zephyrin had now turned into the monster that was putting the Black King's Mountain in an unprecedented crisis.
The sudden appearance of the enormous serpent form that occasionally revealed itself sent shivers down their spines.
"Valkas-nim was very worried that his subordinates, including the Second Captain, might have been attacked by Zephyrin. Has anyone among the Black King's Mercenaries been attacked by Zephyrin?"
"Absolutely not, Twelfth Flagbearer."
"That's a relief."
Valkas's greatest concern hadn't happened yet.
"If we manage to evacuate everyone without casualties, then I can expect a positive outcome when Valkas-nim and I negotiate later."
Kyaah!
Zephyrin's roar echoed from beyond the cracks.
It was a distant sound, but even those who hadn't experienced it personally could imagine the power of that roar.
The evacuation was speeding up.
Although something like this had never happened before, like all castles, the Black King's Mountain had numerous special passageways, devices, and instructions for evacuation.
Stairs extended throughout the hideout, and magical devices were activated to transport supplies.
It was quite a spectacle despite the urgent and grim situation.
Like a giant organism, the huge fortresses lined along the mountain range moved without interruption.
Jin came out of the central fortress, where the leader's reception room was located, and observed how the Black King's Mercenaries were evacuating.
Hundreds of special ropes connected the fortresses and allowed people and supplies to move between them.
The fortresses moved tirelessly, like intricate mechanical devices.
The steep mountain ranges surrounding the fortresses were equipped with various mechanisms.
Every time a distant rumble was heard, an avalanche occurred near the fortresses, creating a slide path.
Non-combatant staff and supplies descended down the mountain with the help of these paths.
Meanwhile, several defensive shields were deployed around the fortresses.
These were not the work of the members but magical defenses established by the Black King's Mercenaries.
There were so many shields that it was difficult to count them all.
'This is just what I can see, so I can't even begin to imagine how much was invested in these defenses.'
It took more than money to get equipment like this.
The Black King's Mercenaries had contacts with magical tool artisans from both the Empire and the Lutero Magical Federation.
Being a neutral faction and a mercenary group allowed them to achieve this.
For magical tool artisans, offering these items to Runcandel is nothing more than an act of betrayal.
Most of the magical tools that Runcandel used for war were obtained as battle spoils.
The evacuation was proceeding smoothly.
As expected from the world's best mercenary group, the Black King's Mercenaries showed excellent coordination even in their first experience in an emergency.
The mountain with the fortresses had collapsed almost completely.
Most members had already completed their evacuation downwards, while Jin, the leader, and the officers hung from the created ropes and observed the central fortress's battlefield.
Precisely, they were watching the collapse of the central fortress.
"Huuuh."
"Leader...!"
The force penetrating the subspace crack was turning the central fortress into dust.
Although the blue flames attached to the crack had significantly decreased from before, the power of the blue flames continued to tear the crack very effectively.
'It seems like the subspace will be completely torn soon.'
What would happen next?
Zephyrin wouldn't be able to return to her original form, but the battle would continue.
She possessed at least a 10-star level of strength even in her human form.
However, this fight wouldn't last much longer.
Zephyrin had taken multiple hits and was exhausted, while Jin and Valkas' group were also tired, so it would be a short-lived battle.
'We can't kill Zephyrin here. The members are safe for now, so it's best to withdraw without causing fatal injuries to ourselves.'
Despite their exhaustion, it was unknown what other abilities Zephyrin still possessed. Given the shocking display of her power, the tide of the battle could change drastically.
Moreover, if the battle extended "beyond subspace," external forces would undoubtedly intervene.
The Black Mercenaries were a neutral faction that everyone was watching. If a major battle occurred in the Black King's Mountain, nearby factions would surely become aware.
She probably created subspace from the beginning and did not kill the Second Captain and subordinates because she wanted to handle this discreetly.
The Hideout of the Black King's Mountain was located in the unprotected region of the central continent, the Bise Kingdom. The Bise Kingdom did not belong to any of the four major factions...
But geographically, it was quite close to the territories of Zipple and Vermont.
Recently, Kinzelo's relationship with those factions had not been very friendly.
"If Zephyrin has in mind that they might come, she will undoubtedly choose to escape."
While Jin contemplated this, the sound of subspace tearing finally reached his ears. Jin and the members of the Black Mercenaries raised their heads to witness the central fortress collapsing.
The view of the barely visible battlefield through the cracks was too chaotic to get a clear picture of the internal situation.
Kahahaha...!
The first to emerge from the rift was Murakan.
He roared triumphantly and then exhaled his breath towards the emerging Zephyrin.
Jin silently breathed a sigh of relief after seeing this.
He's unharmed.
However, when he saw Valkas and Shaku, especially Shaku's condition, Jin felt his heart tearing apart.
Shaku looked severely injured, to the point where he struggled to stand.
Jin had not witnessed the battle directly, but he immediately realized that Shaku had sacrificed himself in the fight.
He was a guardian composed of soul and Shadow Energy, so Shaku's death or injuries were not real.
Therefore, Shaku had no reason to hesitate in sacrificing himself for Jin and his comrades.
The outcome would have been the same even if Shaku's body had been real and not composed of Shadow Energy.
It was the brotherly love of Legends.
"Brother Shaku!"
There was no need for apologies or expressions of gratitude.
Shaku responded to Jin's voice, their gazes met, and a faint smile formed on Shaku's lips.
"Make sure to tell me about this later, Brother Jin."
Shaku's body dispersed into particles of Shadow Energy, and Jin clenched his teeth.
The time had come to end the battle.
"Keep protecting the members, captains!"
It was much more effective to protect them than to fight together.
Shadow Energy and blue flames gathered again around Bradamante. Jin wanted to execute the Shadow Sword Technique immediately, but there was a risk that others would be dragged into it.
Jin's sword fell on Zephyrin's forehead with a swift movement.
Zephyrin easily blocked the blow with her claws, but she seemed quite pressured by the blue flame in front of her nose. Then, her energy appeared to weaken noticeably.
She still retained immense power, though it was weaker than her true form.
Clang!
Bradamante clashed with Zephyrin's claws, and sparks flew.
Murakan switched between his true form and human form, providing support to Jin, while Valkas focused on regulating his breathing.
Although not as serious as Shaku, Valkas was also gravely injured and poisoned by Zephyrin's venom.
Zephyrin fought against Jin and said, "Jin Runcandel, you bastard...!"
"Why don't you act arrogantly like before? As if you could kill us at any moment."
Zephyrin narrowed her eyes at those words.
But shortly after, she regained her composed smile and said, "We'll meet again, Jin Runcandel."
"Yes, you always say that before running away..."
While Jin tried to continue speaking, suddenly, Zephyrin's entire body started to swell with a purple glow, as if it were about to explode at any moment.
It wasn't just Jin who felt it...
Before Murakan could shout, Jin had already distanced himself and was heading towards Valkas.
"Goodbye, then!"
Baaang...!
Zephyrin's swollen body triggered an explosion.
It caused a powerful earthquake throughout the mountain.
The explosion wiped out all traces of trees and rocks at its epicenter.
Although it seemed like the enormous explosion would sweep away the entire Black King's Mountain, the real destructive power was not on an apocalyptic scale.
Zephyrin had no intention of killing Jin from the beginning.
She initiated the explosion simply to facilitate her escape.
Fortunately, the Black King's Mountain was well equipped with various magical defense devices, and Jin, Murakan, the captains, and their subordinates still had strength.
"Block it!"
"The Twelfth Flagbearer protects the leader! The First, Second, and Third Divisions protect each other!"
The demonic energy explosion had shattered the mountain range, and most members had already evacuated.
If they hadn't, it would have been catastrophic. Jin, Murakan, and the Black Mercenaries fought desperately to protect themselves from the explosion and its consequences.
In particular, Murakan used the remaining Shadow Energy to create curtains in various places on the mountain, saving many lives.
[Crazy, you never stop being a pain until the end!]
The phenomena of the explosion, landslides, earthquakes, and more did not cease until almost an hour had passed.
In the end, the group managed to avert the explosion with minimal loss of life.
However, the once majestic Black King's Mountain was now completely destroyed, buried under debris, and the cries and sobs of the Black Mercenaries filled the areas under the collapsed mountain range.
Murakan, still floating in the dark night sky bathed in Shadow Energy, looked at the Black Mercenaries with a somewhat pitiful expression. For those who knew the full story, it was clear that his appearance stemmed from a sense of sorrow.
The personnel and Dragons sent by Zipple and Vermont had just arrived and detected the battle, but they could not immediately comprehend the situation.
"What... What is happening in the Black King's Mountain?!"
[Murakan!? Could it be Murakan?]
[Brother Murakan...!? Did Brother do this?]
[Mu, Mu, Murakan...!]
"If it's Murakan, then maybe Runcandel's Twelfth Flagbearer did this to the Black Mercenaries...!"
The newcomers from Zipple and Vermont were deeply confused as they witnessed the scene of destruction and Murakan in the black sky.
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