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Very few people knew what the gray-robe symbolized. The Spectre Corps were not like the Runcandel's Black Knights, a group of martial artists that openly revealed itself to the world.
The gray robes stood amidst the monsters, watching as the Sword Emperor Castle crumbled. It felt as though they were waiting for the walls of the central arena to collapse.
Slowly, they were approaching the central arena.
'Are they waiting near the Sword Emperor Castle and came to escort Veradin?'
It was possible.
However, Jin couldn't help but feel a strange unease after seeing them. Somehow, it seemed like they were commanding demonic creatures and living golems.
It was more than just a sense of unease; he could immediately tell that the living golems were stepping aside from the direction they were walking.
Ron had an indifferent expression even upon seeing this. It wasn't born of indifference but rather the composure of the warrior who had reached the peak.
Uuuung-!
A red colored mana was gathering on the staff of the gray robes.
And that magic Jin had personally experienced at Veradin's villa near the end of his reserve flagbearer days.
-[Those who call themselves conquerors of the human world are going so far as to use the Red Abyss just to capture a single child; the old Spectres Corps would be turning in their graves.]
At time, Misha had told him the name of that magic was 'Red Abyss.'
Large red patches began to spread in the sky saturated with the aura of the shadow force. The 'Red Abyss,' a great chain magic spell that could be called the Spectre Corps' decisive killing move, had contested with the shadow force of the Black Dragons at that time as well.
That day had been one of the most dangerous moments in Jin's life.
Therefore, he recalled everything vividly. The blood-red swords and chains raining down from the red-stained sky, the sensation of his palms tearing apart as he deflected them.
And there was one thing Jin distinctly remembered.
-'It is weird, each one of them is supplementing the mana to complete the magic spell.'
Jin had felt this while reading the flow of the Red Abyss used by the fifteen members of the Spectre Corps.
Based on this fact, Jin had a gut feeling that the Red Abyss required a larger number of participants.
'But the mana flow of these bastards is too clean.'
The gray robes who had come to the Sword Emperor Castle totaled only six.
Even fifteen struggled and awkwardly casted the spell, but these six executed it perfectly.
According to Jin's knowledge of magic, this was undeniably impossible.
Initially, Jin thought what they had used was the Spectre Corps' Red Abyss. But upon closer inspection, it appeared similar but distinctly different.
'It's not the Spectre Corps. These six are incredibly skilled to mimic the Spectre Corps and their Vision Magic Spell.'
Jin was the only one who saw this fact clearly.
In the first place, there were very few individuals among the martial artists here who even knew of the Spectre Corps' existence. Moreover, none of them had experienced the Red Abyss firsthand.
There is a possibility that Zipfel attacked Hairan, but using the combination of the Spectre Corps and demonic creatures was out of the question.
Especially after the Holy Kingdom incident, it would be insane to associate monsters and endanger their prestige.
'It's not Zipfel. That leaves Kinzelo and Vermont. The former seems more likely to attack Hairan for various reasons. It's strange to think the Emperor would orchestrate something like this to undermine Sir Ron's authority.'
Kinzelo.
Jin felt irritated at what these people might be up to this time.
There had to be a reason for them to stage such a clumsy act, pretending to be Zipfel's secret mage unit.
Gooooo...!
The gray-robed figures' chain magic spell resonated with the surroundings. Red swords and chains made of mana rained down from the red-stained patches in the sky.
It might not match the Red Abyss of the real Spectre Corps, but this spell, also a great chain spell in the hands of mages of equal caliber, contained terrifying destructive power.
Murakan and the dragons couldn't stop everything. They had their hands full dealing with the continuous bombardment of giant monsters on the ground, so they couldn't stop it unless their role was to neutralize only that .
"It feels uncomfortable to use my authority in Vermont, but we have no choice."
In the end, Cuicantelle decided to transform into her true form and wield the authority of time.
[Enya, you must spread the dragon fire shield. Stay close to me.]
"Yes...!"
Cuicantelle didn't take flight but instead aimed her power toward the sky. The silvery waves emanating from her forehead continued to wrap around the chain magic spell.
The situation on the ground seemed to improve significantly as the authority of time and the Dragon Fire Shield unfolded.
However, the increasing number of casualties couldn't be avoided. Among the martial artists, some suffered fatal injuries or were instantly killed.
"Aaaah-!"
A woman screamed in pain as she was thrown to the ground.
"Margiella!"
Bishkel shouted with a bloodthirsty voice.
She was rolling on the ground with her wheelchair that was crushed by the fragments of the chain magic spell.
From earlier, Bishkel had been fiercely attacking anything that threatened her sister, whether it was the flesh and bones of the monsters, mana cannons, or the chain spell, not sparing even other people.
Bishkel didn't harm everyone, but for those who indiscriminately rushed towards her sister to the extent of being a threat, he showed no mercy.
Bubare was already injured and barely managed to protect Margiella behind Bishkel.
Amidst the chaos of slashing at the monsters, Jin happened to see that scene.
Strangely, seeing Margiella in such a precarious state turned his doubts into certainty.
But it seemed like Margiella didn't mind getting caught; in fact, she was confident that Jin would have recognized the culprit by now.
The moment their eyes met, Margiella said in lip language.
'You're going to benefit greatly from this, Sir Jin.'
Jin could read it clearly. Margiella's confident appearance indicated that Kinzelo had already achieved its goal.
'...I see. It doesn't matter to Kinzelo if we find out that the ones mimicking the Spectre Corps are not Zipfel's people.'
Jin looked around while thinking about this.
The discomfort sent shivers down Jin's spine, but he couldn't confront the situation there and then.
The numbers of the colossal monsters emerging from underground showed no sign of decreasing.
Crack-!
With a rumble, the ominous sound of the ground collapsing echoed around, creating pits in all directions. People were falling into these newly formed pits, leaving behind long screams.
However, the valiant efforts of the knights of the Sword Emperor Castle and the martial artists were not in vain. More than half of those who had been in the central arena had managed to escape.
Still, as long as the demonic creatures outside kept attacking the outer wall, their safety couldn't be guaranteed until the enemy was completely defeated.
Who would think this attack was orchestrated by Kinzelo?
There were limited means to prove it, and even if they captured Bishkel's group and tried to interrogate them, they might not confess.
Even though Hairan, supported by a pillar called Ron, will confront the enemy directly. The other small- and medium-sized clans affected by this attack had different circumstances.
Among the victims, rumors would circulate that Hairan is using Kinzelo to hide the fact that it was attacked by Zipfel.
Though Ron was likely to hush it up, Hairan's reputation would never be the same as before.
Of course, Zipfel would extend a helping hand to the troubled Hairan.
Or, if the Sword Emperor Castle requests an explanation, Zipfel might accuse Hairan, saying, 'Hairan is using them after being attacked by other forces.'
In any case, Hairan was suffering significant losses.
'Sir Ron would probably refuse any deal offered by Zipfel even if they aren't behind this, and this incident would end with Hairan being a fool.'
That was Jin's assessment.
So, what did Kinzelo aim to gain from this?
'Hairan's hostile relationship with Zipfel. Kinzelo likely hoped that other major clans would more actively constrain Zipfel.'
It could be a wild guess.
However, Jin concluded that he would be perfectly certain if he didn't miss the "final piece" of this event.
'I have to inform Sir Ron about this!'
The gray-robes were retracting their chain spell. It seemed like they were preparing for a new attack rather than planning to cast it again.
Then, a beam of light was shot at the gray-robes.
The beam pierced through four gigantic monsters, crushed hundreds of living golems, and tore through layer upon layer of protective shields until it ultimately pierced through the chest of one of the gray-robes.
The gray-robed figures, now reduced to five, scattered and began to re-establish their protective shields.
"Do you think I would be fooled if you put on those gray robes? I heard those guys are Octavia Zipfel's subordinates."
Despite having already slain over a hundred gigantic monsters and thousands of living golems, Ron's energy continued to grow. To Ron, the numbers of demonic creatures and living golems were meaningless, like grains of sand before a storm.
However, there was one reason why he couldn't end the situation. The "guests" who came to Sword Emperor Castle were being held hostage.
Ron felt like his insides were boiling for the first time in a long while. The anger that surged within him felt even more intense than when he had acknowledged his defeat in the competition against Chiron.
"Ron Hairan, you are mistaken. Deceiving you was never part of our plan from the beginning."
"What your plan is, I'll make you spill it bit by bit as I tear your mouths apart. So, have you shown everything you can?"
The gray-robed figures remained silent as they prepared to shatter the last piece of the puzzle that Jin had in mind.
"Sir Ron!"
Ron turned his gaze towards Jin.
"There is something more important than killing them. We need to find Veradin!"
"What...?"
"If Veradin goes back to his clan wounded, it will become difficult to handle Kinzelo's plot. Hairan will undoubtedly become overtly hostile to Zipfel!"
Ron's eyes widened at Jin's words.
In an instant, all the various scenarios Jin had considered were flashed through Ron's mind.
Jin was right.
If Veradin didn't return safely, no matter how the situation unfolded afterward, Hairan and Zipfel would inevitably become enemies.
Even if Kinzelo continued to feign ignorance, even if the victims suspected Hairan, even if Zipfel used it to pressure Hairan.
As long as Veradin returned to his clan without a scratch, they would be able to handle all these situations adequately.
Even though their faces were concealed by hoods, Jin could sense the gray-robes' bewildered expressions. He could also see the distorted faces of Bishkel's group, who were pretending to be injured, from behind.
"There are probably more mages of their level, and they might be chasing down Veradin!"
Ron opened his eyes.
"Can I trust you with this, Jin Runcandel?"
Ron had a duty to save his clan members and guests who were dying right in front of him.
"Of course, Sir Ron. I'll accept it as an honor."