C566
"When he woke up, it was already his territory. The fact that you are now in front of me outside the Sword Emperor Castle is simply because he allowed it, not because your power is formidable."
Trap.
Zephyrin was convinced that Gliek had led them into a trap.
He could have annihilated or ignored them all and fully awakened in no time.
Still, the reason he set up a trap...
There are probably only two reasons.
The first is the existence of Cyron Runcandel.
The second is the probability of efficiently devouring Jin.
But Cyron Runcandel has already entered the territory of the Five Kings of the Black Sea, so he won"t be able to partic.i.p.ate.
"Then they won"t be able to prevent Jin Runcandel from being absorbed by the Fifth King of Chaos."
That didn"t mean there wouldn"t be damages for Kinzelo.
They were still manufacturing the Demon G.o.d Orb and its counterparts, and Jin"s power was needed in the core, as Zipple needed it.
However, unlike Zipple, Kinzelo had the means to pull Jin out again before Gliek fully absorbed him, even if Jin were swallowed by Chaos.
Stam and Octavia couldn"t read Zephyrin"s thoughts.
They couldn"t help it because they didn"t have as much information as Zephyrin did about the Black Sea King.
"Are you saying we were deceived by him?"
Octavia spoke angrily.
Zephyrin acted as a spy in Zipple and had things done in the Sota Desert, so Octavia wouldn"t mind tearing her apart right now.
"Exactly, Octavia Zipple."
"You seem confident. Your leader hasn"t recovered yet, and I and the Leader of the Black Knights of Runcandel have been ordered to attack immediately if negotiations break down."
"If I were afraid of that, I would have met with you somewhere other than the headquarters, right? It"s true that my frail master is still in bad shape, but I can handle you two alone. The leaders should have come in person if they wanted to make threats, not you... Ah, but with the current problem, that would have been impossible."
"Do you think you can handle me and Octavia Zipple? It doesn"t seem like you have enough strength," said Stam.
Zephyrin turned her gaze toward him.
"So it would be good if we set aside unnecessary provocations and stuck to the main point. Anyway, if you decide to listen to our proposal, doesn"t it mean there"s something you expect from us? Otherwise, you could have closed all channels and waited for the fight to end."
"There is someone who can speak a little. Well, the conditions for Kinzelo to partic.i.p.ate in this war are very simple."
"What is it?"
"Jin Runcandel. That b.a.s.t.a.r.d... Uh, if he swears allegiance to Kinzelo, we will join the battle."
Stam"s eyes narrowed in the black helmet.
"Don"t you know the Twelfth Flagbearer?"
"Yes, I know him. Swearing allegiance is something he can do at any time, and, of course, there is the possibility that he will betray us once the incident is over. But there is a way to prevent that from happening, so you just have to hand him over to us."
"So your plan is to force Jin Runcandel to be loyal to Kinzelo with a demon contract," Octavia said.
Zephyrin nodded.
"That"s right. It requires the person"s consent and sincerity for it to work. In other words, if he wants to save everyone, he must be willing to be loyal to Kinzelo wholeheartedly. I wonder what the next leader of Runcandel will choose between his own life and everyone else"s."
Stam shook his head as if there was nothing to think about.
"The negotiations have failed."
"It"s a pity. So, are you going to attack us now as you planned?"
"We"ll leave."
"We won"t stop you. We"ll also welcome you back with your entire army."
Octavia did not oppose Stam"s unilateral decision.
It"s frustrating, but the situation was definitely in favor of Kinzelo.
"But, please convey the message when you return. If he just signs a contract with us, he can save not only his Family but the world."
Stam and Octavia turned and left the meeting room.
Zephyrin shrugged as she watched them walk away, and the executives in the next room pounced on her.
"Oh, as expected of the Grand d.u.c.h.ess. Defeating those powerful b.a.s.t.a.r.ds with just words! Did you see, Bouvard? This is the majesty of the only Grand d.u.c.h.ess in the demon world!"
"I saw it! My inspiration is flowing; today, I have to work more on my art!"
"Great job... Grand d.u.c.h.ess. Did our cookies give you strength...?"
Zephyrin nodded awkwardly, and the three jumped back into a circle, showing their joy.
"By the way, it"s unexpected."
Joe said that, looking around.
He also wanted to express his opinion on the current situation, but he was worried that Berakt would get angry again.
"Instead of prioritizing negotiating with us, I thought the Prophet of Runcandel or Zipple would bring out some hidden cards. Isn"t that so?"
For some reason, Berakt nodded in agreement with Joe"s opinion.
Therefore, the negotiation proposal was an unexpected event for them as well.
Kinzelo hoped that even if Runcandel and Zipple couldn"t kill Gliek, they would at least be able to seal him.
Even at an unstable level.
So, although Zephyrin knew that Gliek would awaken, she hoped that after the incident, Jin would "reasonably negotiate" with Kinzelo about the items he obtained in the Sota Desert.
"They may not have as much potential as we thought."
"It may be. But it"s natural that they can"t deal with the Five Kings of the Black Sea, Vice Leader. Even when my master was well, he avoided being hostile with them. More than that, Miss Margiella, it would be quite disappointing for you if Jin Runcandel refused to negotiate."
Margiella pushed her wheelchair next to Zephyrin.
"That"s right, Zephyrin-nim. But didn"t you admit that, even though you called him a demon to be torn apart, you would care if Jin-nim ended up consumed by Chaos?"
Margiella hoped that Kinzelo would unconditionally help Jin.
Only then would there be a possibility that Jin Runcandel in his "complete" state would become a confidant of Kinzelo.
"Anyway... Even if Gliek devours him, it will be enough to pull him out of there thanks to my master"s power. He may become a fool instead of the demon we knew, but still, the fundamental fact that he is the contractor of Solderet will not change."
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Mort returned to the battlefield eleven hours after heading towards Kinzelo.
The absolute seal of the Hidden Palace, the Grand Icefield, was in good condition.
Even then...
Ron had been swinging his sword on the White Stone barrier without a moment"s rest.
The White Stone still revealed its impeccable shine without a scratch on the barrier.
Even so, no one stopped Ron.
He no longer felt the sadness of a man who had lost everything.
He was filled with unfathomable madness.
Unable to cope with such deep grief, he had plunged into madness.
Ron"s sword became increasingly destructive, but that did not mean it became stronger immediately.
Rather, it was the opposite.
The sword had lost composure and only radiated its power randomly.
However, Ron"s body, which had opened the Supreme Sword, showed no signs of fatigue as he continued to maintain the same powerful energy as the first time.
"...That"s it."
Stam and Octavia finished their reports.
Kelliark and Rosa rejected Kinzelo"s condition of handing over Jin, but one thing Zephyrin said triggered an ominous intuition in them.
"It was thanks to the permission of the Black Sea King that the Hidden Palace Mistress"s Snow Toad was able to go there..."
"If that"s true, I"ll have to rethink countermeasures."
Both thought at the same time.
It was time to confirm it.
"Runcandel will invade the land of the beastmen from now on."
"Zipples, line up. I will open the way."
Talaris and Ron were excluded from attacking Kinzelo.
It was not just because the two were not under their control, but they also needed some people to stop Gliek while they attacked Kinselo anyway.
Moreover, faced with the determined decision of Runcandel and Zipple, Talaris had no choice but to make a decision.
"The moment Runcandel and Zipple withdraw from the battlefield, the world will come to an end."
Elona Zipple.
Talaris decided to unseal her.
After all, if she only saw the lesser evil, it was better for the world to be ruled by "Humans" called Zipple, rather than being eroded by the Black Sea King.
"Kelliark Zipple."
Talaris spoke as Kelliark and Rosa released their powers against the Chaos-encased ice wall.
"It"s an inevitable choice for us, Talaris Endorma."
"It"s not that..."
Talaris took a breath.
She dared not speak, but like Kelliark, she had no choice.
"In the Hidden Palace."
There is a sealed magician of the ancient Zipple.
Just as she was about to continue her words, Talaris suddenly opened her eyes.
It was not because she was indecisive in the end.
It was because she felt the change in Full Ice, and the Grand Icefield was rapidly collapsing.
Not even the minimum number of days she had predicted had pa.s.sed, and the seal, which had been working firmly until now, began to crumble out of nowhere.
"Kugh..."
As soon as Talaris spat out dark red blood, the energy of Full Ice enveloping the battlefield dissipated.
At that moment, Kelliark and Rosa could only intuitively realize that Zephyrin"s words were not a lie.
Gliek, before being sealed and after being "subdued" to the seal.
At some point, he had been watching and listening to all the actions and words of humans.
Therefore, he knew that they negotiated with a group called Kinzelo to find a way to kill him and were rejected...
He also had a clue about how Kinzelo would pull out the Solderet Contractor when he absorbed Jin.
[Jin Runcandel...]
The eyes of Gliek formed within the White Stone stared at Jin.
[With this, all the opportunities given to you and Solderet have disappeared....]
As soon as Gliek finished his words, Jin felt his vision darken in an instant.
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