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Mort appeared in the middle of the sky out of nowhere as if splitting the sky apart.
"What... is that?"
"A giant toad...!?"
The Tona brothers exclaimed at the same time. Mort's white and massive body cast shadow over the Tona brothers and assassin's boats.
Although they shouted in surprise, the Tona brothers were well aware that Mort, the white toad, was the summoning beast of Talaris.
It was their first time they saw it in person, and they just reflexively shouted given the circumstances.
The captain's eyes also grew wide under the hood.
'Master of the Hidden Palace, Talaris Endorma...!?"
However, he had no idea why this monstrous woman had come here.
The captain had not heard anything about Tona brothers from the elders, but dealing with that level of variables was manageable.
But it was a different story if it was Talaris.
The people of the world know Talaris as the Abyssal Spider. However, very few people knew the exact reason behind that name.
In fact, names such as 'Alone Tower in the Western Sea,' 'Myriad Ice,' and 'bitter frost' might suit Talaris and the Hidden Palace better.
Therefore, people in the world often thought that it was simply because of the dark and fearful image that the words "abyss" and "spider" gave off, or it symbolized her truly enormous thrust for men. Is it correct translation
The assassin and Talaris locked eyes. To him, Mort's descent seemed very slow.
The assassin felt like the end of the world was descending upon him.
Crack, rumble, and Boom!
Before Mort's massive four feet could touch the seawater, a popping sound of something rapidly freezing was heard.
It was the sound of the sea freezing over in the vicinity of Tikan.
White cold emanated from Talaris, and covered the sea like spider's web.
The pouring rain froze, and the waves subsided.
The waves didn't completely stop but they rode on the chill and extended upward into the sky.
It took less than 5 seconds for the frozen waves to become huge enough to form a sort of shield covering Tikan. And it didn't stop until the whole island was covered.
The visibility dimmed due to the ice that obscured the sky, but Talaris's Myriad Ice and cold energy illuminated brightly.
"Ugh, you stupid toad. You should have arrived inside the mansion instead of here."
[Boong....]
Talaris shrugged her shoulders while reprimanding Mort. As she had pointed out, they had originally intended to appear inside the mansion, but Mort's mistake had led them to fall into the sea.
Fortunately, this turned out to be a stroke of luck for the Tona brothers.
"Hey, youngest!"
"Jin...!"
The Tona brothers shouted at the same time again.
Talaris was not alone on Mort. Jin, Murakan, Syris and along with the seven swords of the Hidden Palace, were also riding on Mort.
"Well, it turned out well, Mort. This is not an entirely inappropriate location."
[Boong!]
"It seems these weak guys were trying to fight for my son-in-law, right? I am proud of you, huh..."
While Talaris was speaking, the assassin swiftly threw himself at the Tona brothers. Since they had been fighting just a while ago, the distance between them was very short, and the assassin intended to use the Tona brothers as hostages.
If Jin had come alone, it would have been difficult to stop him, given the short distance.
However, Talaris didn't even lift her foot from Mort's back and simply stopped the assassin from approaching the Tona brothers with a casual gesture.
Whoosh! Pzzz!
Ice pillars shot up between them following Talaris's gesture. The assassin desperately swung his sword but couldn't break the ice, and the Tona brothers quickly moved towards Mort.
"Well, that's not very polite when someone is speaking."
"Are you two alright, brothers?"
The Tona brothers vigorously nodded their heads.
Jin couldn't help but feel a strange mix of emotions watching their actions.
'They tormented me so much in my past life... but now, they're fighting to protect my comrades.'
"We're fine!"
"It's all thanks to you."
Their response was full of newfound vitality.
Ping, ping!
The raindrops, turned into hail by the coldness, and continuously beat against the ice curtain, creating a pleasant sound.
'It would have been difficult for my brothers to survive if we had been a little late.'
There must have been enemies scattered around inside Tikan, so Jin's comrades couldn't have all escaped unharmed. The civilian casualties would have undoubtedly been significant.
If it weren't for Talaris, Jin would have arrived here after the attack had already ended.
-Young Master, we cannot use the transfer gate due to the bad weather conditions in the Tikan area.
-...The Hidden Palace! What about the transfer gate leading to the Hidden Palace?
A conversation Jin had with Butler Petro just before arriving in Tikan.
It was possible to instantly use the transfer gate between the Hidden Palace and Runcandel, and fortunately Jin was able to request Talaris's assistance.
Furthermore, thanks to the 'hotline' of Seven-Colored Peacock, Lucas Manfran, Talaris was already aware of the situation just before Jin arrived.
Even if Jin hadn't come looking for her, Talaris would have moved Mort to help Tikan.
The Hidden Palace was Jin's most reliable ally from the moment Talaris showed the seal of "Elona Zipfel" or even before that, when she began to take an interest in Jin.
"Daughter."
"Yes, Mother."
"You, along with my son-in-law and the Seven Swords of Hidden Palace, protect the inside of the island."
"Understood. Seven Swords of Hidden Palace, move quickly to the inside of Tikan! The objective is to protect Tikan's forces and civilians, and if possible, subdue the enemy without resorting to excessive violence."
"As you command!"
"Darling. No, Handsome oppa, how about transforming into your true form and surveying the situation?"
[Well, I was planning on doing that anyway. But who are you calling 'darling'?]
"Heh, slip of the tongue."
Murakan transformed, revealing his black and massive wings. Jin climbed onto his back and extended a hand to the Tona brothers.
"How about you two ride with me and help me out?"
The Tona brothers responded with expressions that said, "Are we really going to ride on the back of a great black dragon?" with a hint of excitement.
Murakan decided to tease them a bit.
[How can these bastards ride on my back? You two better hold on properly otherwise I will drop you, got it?]
Vvwoooosh! Murakan soared into the air. And Syris and the Seven Swords of Hidden Palace rode Mort to towards the interior. Only Talaris and the assassin remained outside.
"Would you prefer to surrender and die without suffering, or would you rather resist and die a cruel death? I hope you choose wisely."
Talaris aimed the Myriad Ice at the assassin. The option of surviving and leaving alive had effectively disappeared for the assassin and his companions after Talaris appeared.
The assassin adjusted his posture.
He released an extraordinary energy. The person standing before her was Talaris, but he was by no means a nameless nobody who could disappear without a trace.
"...How could the master of Hidden Palace be moving for the sake of the 12th Flagbearer of Runcandel?"
"May I take it as you chose the latter, right?"
Whoosh!
Talaris glided on the ice, and swung Myriad Ice. The assassin parried the blow, and scattered the sword energy.
Of course, Talaris didn't put all her power into her first attack, but she hadn't expected the assassin to defend against it so cleanly.
"My son-in-law said something before coming here. He was sure that the Elder Council hired you. I thought you might be mercenaries from the Black King or Amela, but it doesn't feel like that at all."
Talaris had fought many battles in her youth against the Black King mercenaries and Amela's mercenaries.
But the patterns she saw in the assassin's sword were entirely different from what she had encountered in the past. And the sword gave off a much more familiar feeling than the Black King mercenaries or Amela.
"Assassin, have we met somewhere before? It seems familiar to me."
Although they were indeed engaged in a fierce battle, the assassin had no time to answer such a question. He was exerting all his strength, while Talaris was effortlessly dealing with him.
"I'm getting curious. How about revealing which organization you belong to?"
Talaris increased her tempo, and the assassin's defensive stance became increasingly precarious.
Talaris, armed with Myriad Ice, was nearly invincible above the sea . In addition to her unique physical abilities of a 10-star top-class knight, the power of Myriad Ice erupting from all directions pressed the assassin relentlessly.
Whoosh!
In no time, Talaris's sword energy grazed assassin's right cheek. The hood of the assassin was torn off, and his face was revealed. Talaris couldn't help but be taken aback at the moment.
The facial skin of the assassin seemed like melting down. And it nearly covered his eyes, his lips were almost gone, and his teeth were visible without him even having to open his mouth. His ears had been crushed and weren't visible at all.
Even an enemy does not do such a thing. The rugged breathing sounded like he had issues with his respiratory system.
Shh, shh, shh...
the assassin gasped for breath, and Talaris stopped her attack. She stared at him intently.
She saw an all-too-familiar face between his mangled face from time to time.
"You... You can't be."
Talaris's eyes widened in shock. She had remembered who he was, or more accurately, his 'affiliation.'
"Aren't you a Runcandel Enforcement Knight? We have fought before, right?"
Talaris nodded as if understanding what had happened.
"Ah, you're not an Enforcement Knight now; you must be in exile seeing your face like that. Your fighting style did seem quite unique. Yes, I remember now. It was a long time ago, but I remember fighting you. You were the leader of the 1st division Enforcement Knights back then. Your name was..."
"I have no name."
"Why not? I think I remember."
Shoo!
The assassin spoke after tearing his hood and wearing it like a mask.
"No one among us can survive since you have come here. You can kill us brutally or painlessly, as you please."
The assassin's sword once again emitted intense heat.
Talaris grinned wickedly, seeing the assassin's determination.
"Huh? Why would I kill you? It might be better to keep you alive if possible."
"What are you talking about, Master of Hidden Palace?"
"If things go well, my son-in-law might be able to make use of you. For now... pray. Pray that your men haven't harmed my son-in-law's people."
In that case, I wouldn't be able to spare you even if I wanted to.
Talaris continued speaking, and spreaded her cold energy towards the assassin.