Chapter 283: Collapse (9)

The airship shook and Desir’s body bounced off and rolled across the deck.

He managed to stop his fall with the railing. However, his spell array, having neared completion, had disappeared. His concentration had been interrupted by his body being flung around. The spell array required delicate application of mana, a few small flecks of paint to complete the finishing touches, and he had just spilled the entire can on his masterpiece.

He bit his lips. Although the spell had ultimately failed to complete, the attempt alone had nearly destroyed his entire body in the process. Half the airship had been wrecked due to the constant bombardment: it was no longer possible to fly it.

The ship’s altitude began dropping rapidly.

Desir clenched his fist. He clung to the railing, desperately trying to keep himself upright. He could not give up like this. His battle was far from over.

Even if he could no longer cast any magic, he would never let Priscilla escape. If his airship was destroyed, he would just need to board another one.

*Fly*

Desir’s gaze fixated on something approaching him. A small fleet of airships was heading his way. In response, Desir presented them with an outstretched hand.

While no spell array appeared, he used all of his computational power to control the airship movement and in an instant he managed to successfully invert its control system.

And the last spell saved in Memorize was deployed.

Extremely powerful winds rushed through the battlefield. Artillery shells were thrown off course, and the ship Desir had gained control over rocketed towards him.

At that very moment…

*Boom*

The airship exploded before him. This was not the result of Desir’s actions though.

‘It self-destructed.’

Moments after realizing Desir had gained control of it, they blew up their ship without hesitation.

Desir was speechless at the absurdity of their actions. After coming back to his senses, Desir was left with only one option.

The burning airship was crushed, and his remaining mana had completely dried up now. His last ditch plan to seize an enemy’s ship had been blocked.

Desir let go of his cane, a twisted smile covering his face.

He had no choice but to admit it.

Chasing Priscilla was impossible.

But he did not give up. His eyes gazed at something in the distance.

‘I’m backing down now, but one day I’ll definitely… ’

*Crack*

Shortly thereafter, his airship shook greatly. An Artemis ship had rammed into him, dealing significant damage. The engine room had been thoroughly destroyed. The airship plunged head-first towards the ground, carving out its own burial site as it hit the surface.

The world turned dark. That was Desir’s last memory.

* * *

It was late at night when Desir opened his eyes again.

A faint magic light illuminated the room.

Three hyacinth flowers, creamy curtains, and a white wall. He woke up in the hospital room of the Adeina National Hospital.

Desir lay down on the bed and looked down at himself. He could see that his entire body was wrapped in bandages.

He tried to pull himself up, but soon gave up. As he tried to move, he slowly began to feel pain beyond anything else he had ever felt. He groaned subconsciously at the terrible pain that felt like his whole body was being torn apart.

“You’d better not move too much, your injuries are pretty terrible. By all accounts, you should have already died.”

Someone walked out of the shadows. With a body smaller than others, colorful pink hair, and wolf-like sharp features.

It was Swan Katarina.

“It’s a miracle you survived that.”

“How many days have passed?”

Desir cut off Swan as if he didn’t want to hear her speak of such things. Swan raised her eyebrows.

“Three.”

Desir’s forehead wrinkled. More time had passed than he thought.

Collapsing in Altea, the death of Zod Exarion, Priscilla Haicilkite running away before his eyes.

He clenched his fist as he recalled the last scenes he had been witness to.

“What happened to Priscilla?”

“You should only concern yourself with your condition.”

“Lady Swan… but… !”

Desir’s voice raised by several pitches. There was a mixture of unbearable anger.

But instead of answering, Swan calmly took a cigarette out of somewhere and bit it.

“Calm down, Desir.”

The moment he met her cold eyes, Desir certainly realized that he had been too excited.

He released his clenched fist and took a deep breath. He then spoke again after his rage had somewhat subsided.

“What happened to Priscilla?”

Swan finally answered Desir’s question while puffing cigarette smoke into the room.

“We missed her. I’m afraid she’s still alive.”

As soon as he heard the answer, Desir felt his blood pressure rise again, his head filling with rage again. Struggling to keep calm, he opened his mouth.

“I don’t understand.”

What Priscilla did must have been spread far and wide by now, at least reaching every nation’s leaders. And although they ended up allowing them to flee, the Artemis fleet suffered immense damage.

It was hard to believe that they could not catch her even after three days.

“That snake-like girl, smiling outwardly, acted like a figure of peace, and made all sorts of plans behind our backs.”

“What are you talking about… ”

Swan opened her communication pad without speaking further. At that moment, a holographic map appeared before Des1r’s eyes.

It was a map of the Hebrion Empire.

Swan marked some of the cities on the map.

“It’s like hell out there. More than five cities have been completely razed. The number of dead has exceeded thirty thousand. And the damage is still increasing. The Empire is currently facing its greatest threat since its founding.”

He did not understand what she was talking about for a moment, but he soon understood what she meant, and opened his eyes wide.

“The Artemis Church.”

* * *

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Kansas, a fortress city located in the eastern part of the Hebrion Empire.

Kansas was one of the cities allowed to possess their own substantial military power within the Empire, an important point directly connected to Dresden, the capital of the Empire.

At the same time, the walls, which were built with the pinnacle of the Empire’s technology, had developed something of a legend. They were unconquerable, having proved capable of repelling every enemy attack. No other city in the Empire could boast a record even close to this.

Those walls had failed.

“Why the hell is the Artemis church attacking us… !?”

Kansas soldiers were helplessly violated, embarrassed by the unforeseen circumstances. In order to best compliment their powerful walls, Kansas’s military formation was reminiscent of the Suseongjeon Fortress. By overwhelming the opponent with an absurd number extremely powerful archers and magicians, they would be so threatening that attempting to siege the city would be paramount to suicide.

“We’re detecting a surge of mana from their second temple… ”

“Reinforcements!”

The Church of Artemis, which boasted the prestige of being the de facto religion of the continent, had a place of worship in nearly every city, and Kansas was no exception.

And the Artemis Church had secretly installed a teleportation gate in their Kansas branch.

Their church was located in the center of the city. Kansas, who had been expecting a traditional siege, had been slaughtered from the inside, unable to muster a proper response.

“Can’t breathe, can’t breathe, can’t breathe!”

There was an obvious difference in strength between the two forces. Above all, the gap in power between individuals of the two forces was insurmountable. Even well-trained knights would not be a match for Paladins who had received the Blessing of Light.

The Artemis Church had always been a symbol of peace. Their Paladins had been an extension of that, and as such, no one foresaw the day they might face against them. In hindsight, such a viewpoint was nothing but naive.

“Sa-Save me!”

“Argh!!”

Screams rang out from all sides. Violent sounds and explosions continued incessantly. Flames shot up and burned the fields and cities that had once appeared to be dyed golden.

There was a group of people running through the burning city. Twenty-five of them were mounted on horseback, and though they were not travelling particularly quickly, they were deftly navigating the narrow alleyways of the city. In doing so they could avoid detection, and arrive at their destination as soon as possible.

They took advantage of the familiar Kansas geography and hastened towards their destination, taking the shortest possible distance. Of course, they could not avoid all enemies. The sound of galloping horses could not be concealed, even if they tried to hide it.

“They came here!”

Thirty Paladins were waiting in formation. They narrowed the distance little by little with their shields raised. Between the cramped passageway and the sheer number of opponents, avoiding them was not possible. They would have to fight them head-on, or abandon the current route.

The commander leading the small group on horses frowned.

‘Did they read our minds?’

The knights had ventured behind enemy lines to destroy the teleportation gate within the church. They assumed that the Artemis Church would not predict such a move, especially when the battle was already heavily in their favor. Despite that, they had determined their exact movements and taken action to prevent it.

It would not be easy to avoid a fight from here on now.

A knight opened his mouth.

“Shall we take another detour again?”

In response, the commander pulled out his spear.

“This time we break through.”

As soon as he finished instructing them, the knights all hefted their spears. And at the same time, a multitude of auras, all varying in color and shape, bloomed on each spear.

The pupils of the Holy Paladins blocking their way opened wide. Only then did the Paladins realize that the people standing in front of them were different from the other soldiers they had been dealing with up until then.

Different may have been an understatement. These were the only soldiers present capable of defeating the Artemis Church, even while on an unfavorable battlefield. They were the Knights of Kansas, a powerful cavalry unit that had nearly reached the end of the Shadow Labyrinth.

*Boom*

Compressed aura tore apart a Paladin’s shield, replacing the thick steel with blood. The body was stomped into the ground by the following hooves, leaving an unrecognizable mess.

“Speed up!!”

Though they easily broke through, the commander still appeared worried. Desperate pleas for assistance continued to make their way through the communication channels. Not a single encounter was a success. Defeat was obvious.

‘Unfortunate, but not unexpected.’

Even in the face of defeat, the commander did not give up. There was not a trace of fear in his body.

‘So long as we destroy the teleportation gate, even if they take the city today, we can reclaim it in the future.’

Argeria G Rogran Nimbias, commander of the Knights of Kansas, once again steeled his resolve.

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