Shake….!
The chains of fire that held onto Kozec were shaking dangerously. It seemed like they might snap at any moment from the way they were trembling.
Nevertheless, it was Zipfel's ultimate weapon.
No matter how formidable Jin might be, taking it down single-handedly was out of the question.
He had already exceeded everyone's expectations just by pushing Kozec this far.
Zipfel had expected an easy victory from the beginning when they received information about Runcandel from Barton. They thought they could easily push Runcandel back in an instant with Kozec and a spatial explosion.
But now they were retreating against just two of Runcandel's flagbearers and one Black Knight, along with a dozen guardian knights.
"Give it all you've got to boost Kozec's speed! All the healing mages will take care of the young master!"
More than forty mages, including White Night and the elite mages, were killed, and all six Red Dragons were slaughtered.
On the other hand, Runcandel had yet to suffer any casualties. Some of the guardian knights were wounded, but they could easily be healed once they made it back.
All of this was made possible because Jin had joined the battle.
Swoosh!
A thin line of black blood trickled from Jin's lips. Cold sweat continuously poured from his pale face.
'I pushed myself too hard.'
Jin had sustained significant injuries in his battle with Sylderay before joining this mission.
He had received intensive treatment in the Holy Kingdom, but it couldn't restore his physical condition to its peak.
Pouring nearly all of the mana he could use in his current state had naturally led to a mana backlash.
However, it wasn't as severe as Veradin's. Jin could recover to some extent with his unique mana control ability after about ten minutes of rest.
He had to recover, no matter what.
'I need to be in a condition to fight Barton after Zipfel withdraws.'
The next battle was already scheduled.
There were challenges upon challenges, but there was no need to be overly anxious.
'Barton suffered significant injuries earlier when he pretended to capture Veradin. I can certainly take him down by working with the elder brother Diphus.'
Fwoosh...
The blue flames surrounding Jin were gradually disappearing.
The pressure on Kozec eased as Tess's summoning was released.
Cut down Jin Runcandel's flames!
A commanding mage seized the opportunity for escape and shouted.
Krzak! Soon, the chains of fire that had bound Kozec were severed.
A chain reaction began as one chain broke, and shortly after, Kozec was seen casting off all the chains.
Wiiing-!
Kozec's mana engine emitted a resounding sound as it tried to escape the battlefield at full speed.
Zipfel maintained just enough mana to keep the minimal shield around the ship. The rest of the mages were channeling all their mana into the engine.
This was truly a nightmare, and it was evident how hard the mages were working to escape.
'It's clearly a bad move. They must have been quite impatient.'
Jin thought as he observed the weakening of Kozec's shield.
Zipfel should have focused more on defense than mobility in this situation.
Jin couldn't cast the Annihilating Dark Sky Flame Orb-final form again, and Barton had sustained injuries, so Runcandel had mostly lost its aerial combat capabilities.
Hence, calmly escaping from the battlefield was the right course of action.
However, mages couldn't be certain that Jin couldn't cast magic at this level again.
They were unaware that Jin had experienced mana backlash.
Mistakes due to fear always came at a high price.
As they were overly conscious of Jin, Zipfel hadn't considered the four flagbearer of Runcandel, who was very furious.
"I shall kill you all, you damn rats...!"
Aura gathered in Diphus's greatsword, Volgar. The dense aura mysteriously distorted the space.
Runcandel's Third Decisive Killing Move
Meteor Shower
The aura flowing through the greatsword instantly shot up into the sky and formed a column.
Out of the frying pan into the fire. There is no other phrase that could perfectly describe the current situation of Zipfels.
Diphus brought down his greatsword with an enormous but unbelievably fast swing.
The meteors of the sword began to rain down fiercely through the torn clouds.
If Zipfels had opted for a shield instead of full-speed flight, they could have minimized the damage.
There was no ship in the world that could move faster than sword energy.
Kozec couldn't outmaneuver Diphus's meteor shower even at his top speed.
The barrage of sword energy was closer to a natural disaster than anything else.
'A meteor shower, it's been a while since I last saw that move.'
Diphus's meteor shower was clearly a level below compared to Luna's meteor shower. Nevertheless, it was so formidable that one could hardly believe a single human had executed it.
Barrage.
As the name suggested, it was a relentless downpour of sword energy bombarding Kozec.
The mages' cries of despair were drowned out by the noise of Kozec's hull being crushed.
Some mages could not withstand the impact inside the ship and fell outside. They tried to protect themselves with shields out of their instinct to survive, but it was futile.
Guardian Knights were waiting for them on the ground.
The Guardian Knights were swiftly cutting down the mages even before they hit the ground.
Some cursed, some screamed like banshees, and some begged for their lives.
There was no need for prisoners this time. The mission did not include taking prisoners.
Crackle, crack! Boom...!
Following the meteor shower, Barton's sword energy descended towards the lower part of Kozec.
Barton's sword energy appeared much weaker than before.
But he wasn't acting this time.
In reality, Barton was considerably weakened because of using too much aura earlier and sustaining injuries.
Although it was still close to the power of a 9-star level, it wasn't enough to deliver a critical blow to Kozec.
Diphus didn't say anything to Barton. Instead, he sharpened his sword inwardly. After Kozec retreated, he planned to tear Barton to pieces.
Already, more than forty meteors had struck Kozec's hull.
However, even without deploying its shields, the giant ship had yet to crash. It swayed as if it would fall any moment but stubbornly refused to crash.
Diphus had to make a decision.
Should he use more power to continue trying to bring it down, or should he conserve his strength for the upcoming battle against Barton?
Giving up on the former was agonizing.
'If I can destroy Kozec and even kill Veradin, I will undoubtedly be the top flagbearer of the year, not that damn Joshua.'
There was a high chance that it would become true even if he shared the credit with Jin.
However, what if he failed?
It was a gamble. There was no guarantee that he could destroy Kozec even if he used another decisive killing move.
Moreover, if he made even a slight mistake in managing his stamina, there could be problems when facing Barton.
'The youngest is right. Completing the given mission is a priority. It's a shame, but I will chase them away and then stop.'
Above all, if he didn't follow Jin's advice in this situation, the consequences might be dire. Jin still considered him an 'enemy,' but they can still be in a cooperative relationship, just like now.
However, the story would change once he earned Jin's grudge. Based on what he experienced today, Diphus had made this evaluation of Jin: He was definitely not someone to turn into a complete enemy.
'There will be many moments when the youngest and I have to join forces until we draw Joshua out. I mustn't disappoint Jin for a while.'
Having made his decision, Diphus controlled his aura.
As a result, the power of the meteor shower gradually diminished.
The mages were glad to see it to the point that they wanted to cheer.
Woooooom, shiiiiing!
Kozec's engine roared to life.
Diphus realized that he made the right decision when he saw Kozec pick up speed once again despite being heavily damaged.
It was impossible to destroy it anyway. As long as more than five elite mages were on board, Diphus's decisive killing moves couldn't bring down the ship.
In the end, Kozec left the battlefield.
Kozec got away quickly and became a tiny dot in the distance.
Diphus didn't take his eyes off until the dot completely disappeared.
"Why did you stop attacking at the last moment, 4th flagbearer?" Barton asked.
"I stopped attacking because I judged that they might counterattack if we concerned them further. I thought there might be some safety measures in place since the next patriarch of Zipfel is on the battlefield. Besides, I didn't think I could destroy it with my power alone."
Barton nodded as if he understood.
Ventica originally had ugly sight due to large craters dug all over the land, and it was not much different from the desolate landscape after the battle.
"A wise decision. It hurts my pride, but I'm not in top shape. So even I wouldn't have had an easy time if we had faced a counterattack."
"Thank you for your hard work, Sir Barton."
Barton's gaze landed on Jin, who was sitting in a mediating position and controlling his energy far away from the two.
"By the way, we owe a great debt to the 12th flagbearer... I was truly humbled for the first time in a long while. At first, I was somewhat uncomfortable about performing the mission with the 12th flagbearer, but Madame Rosa's wisdom is truly remarkable."
"I agree. If it wasn't for the youngest, the ones fleeing would have been us, not Zipfel."
Jin finished his meditation and approached the two.
Barton watched him and extended his hand first for a handshake. "12th flagbearer, I apologize for ignoring you. Thanks to you, we were able to avoid the stain of mission failure."
Jin looked silently at Barton's outstretched hand. An uncomfortable atmosphere hung in the air.
It was impossible to discern what expression Barton was making with his black helmet obscuring his face.
Several seconds passed, but Barton did not withdraw his extended hand.
"Would you please remove your helmet?" Jin asked.
"I cannot do that."
"Please tell me the reason."
"Only the flagbearers of rank four and above are allowed to see the face of the Black Knights. It's true that I owe a debt to you, but it doesn't mean I should break the law."
"Under most circumstances, you must have felt infinite glory."
"What are you saying?"
"Of the countless knights of the clan, only ten are allowed to wear the black helmet. It should have been an honorable thing for a black knight to ask me for a handshake first. But it seems like it isn't the case anymore."
Barton withdrew his hand at a sudden shift of mood, as if to make drawing his sword easier.
"It was strange how the 4th flagbearer seemed to be saving his strength. The real mission was not to secure Ventica but to assassinate me."
His voice was calm, devoid of surprise, as if he had expected a day like this to come.
"Whatever the reason you've neglected the glory of Runcandel, I acknowledge that you've undoubtedly served the clan once. I shall face you with respect."