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Jin decided to follow Joshua and his group and head slowly towards the Second Magic Tower.

Joshua and his group advanced while ma.s.sacring Zipples and Kinzelo members in the following sections, so there was no need to engage in battles or hide.

Scenes of corpses, blood, and destruction continued.

From behind, the vibrations and noise of ongoing battles could still be heard, and it seemed that at this rate, the entire shipyard was going to collapse.

I guess it"s up to us to be dragged by Joshua.

As they moved, Dyfus recalled Jin"s last words.

Yes, not even Jin can understand everything perfectly.

That fact did not disappoint him at all.

Joshua, that viper, is not only skillful at scheming but also possesses the abilities of the prophet...

It"s impressive enough just to perfectly understand the flow of events so far. Honestly, I wouldn"t have been able to keep up.

Dyfus felt anguish knowing that he still couldn"t be of much help.

"Second elder brother, honestly, I didn"t plan to make you this proposition. I thought I could kill Joshua on my own. But sister Mary asked me to come back with you without getting hurt."

(Note: Remember that Dyfus is the Fourth Flagbearer but also the Second Elder Brother of Jin.)

He remembered the words Jin had told him just before starting the operation.

If things continued like this, even if he managed to kill Joshua, he would end up being led by Jin.

As a fellow Flagbearer and as an elder brother.

He couldn"t accept such an outcome.

I need to be of help.

Just like in the time of Barton, I must not fall into a situation where I have to retreat unless I receive help from Jin.

Since Jin had mentioned that he didn"t know why Joshua felt confident at that moment, Dyfus also couldn"t come up with an immediate solution.

However, what was important was that he could cling to his spirit and will, which had momentarily been lost in the excitement of being able to kill Joshua.

Dyfus had rarely failed in what he had set out to do so far.

The group soon crossed to section twenty after pa.s.sing through nineteen.

According to the shipyard"s layout, there was an emergency pa.s.sage near the Second Magic Tower.

Looking around, they saw signs that Joshua and the Black Knight had forcefully opened and destroyed the pa.s.sage.

"Jin, it seems there was no fight in the pa.s.sage. Did Kinzelo use a different pa.s.sage?"

"Or maybe they used their leader"s steel door ability."

"That ability he showed during the terror attack on Sword Emperor Castle, d.a.m.n it. Except for Runcandel, everyone has surpa.s.sed the limits of transfer gates."

"Vermont hasn"t shown such advanced technology or capabilities yet."

"The Empire can"t be compared to us. That"s why Vermont hasn"t appeared here yet. Anyway, I feel bad. Let"s move on."

Outside the pa.s.sage was the Sota Desert.

Whoosh!

Fierce and thick sandstorms covered the entire desert.

The giant sandstorms scattered here and there gave an ominous feeling.

Naturally, from this point onward, there were no traces of Joshua and the Black Knight"s movements.

The footprints lasted not even an instant and were covered with sand, and it was difficult to breathe without forming a protective shield.

Natural disasters and adverse conditions that for civilians would be nothing more than catastrophes were not fatally effective on most trained martial artists.

Even dying uselessly from falling rocks or being struck by lightning with astronomical odds, individuals with a power level of 8 stars or higher would never die unexpectedly.

And much less for those like Jin or Dyfus, who could be called superhumans.

The Sota Desert environment threatening the group at that moment far exceeded that normal level.

"It"s no joke..."

It was such a fierce environment that a civilian couldn"t survive for even a second.

The sand-laden wind cut through protective shields like a sharp knife.

The entire desert seemed to be infested with a terrible destructive magic.

Indeed...

"These are large-scale barriers and chained defense magic maintained at all times. They are to protect the Second Magic Tower from intruders."

The Second Magic Tower was one of Zipple"s most important areas. It was close to the center of the Lutero Magical Federation, right next to their headquarters, Drakka.

Such levels of barrier and defense magic were natural.

Dyfus pointed further ahead with his hand.

The White Night Tower could be seen in the distant hazy sky, obscured by the sandstorm.

The problem was that there was no tower.

"It"s an illusion barrier."

"I never observed this phenomenon during all my explorations before your arrival."

"This defensive magic, including the illusion barrier, is likely to be activated when someone deviates from the predefined path or enters a specific area."

There were a total of five towers.

All but one were illusions created by the illusion barrier.

And as with this type of barrier, another trap was activated upon reaching one of the false towers.

This time, Murakan pointed to the sky.

"Hey, why is it so dark like that...? Brat, Dyfus, take a look at that."

Numerous battleships floated in the sky.

At first glance, it seemed there were more than a hundred.

If Jin, Murakan, and Dyfus feared Zipple, it would have been a sight that would have weakened their legs.

Unlike the towers, they couldn"t be sure that the battleships covering the sky like a group of whales were an illusion.

Considering the size of the shipyard they had just checked, it was a number that could easily exist if there were several more shipyards.

In other words, these battleships could be finished products of ma.s.s-produced battleships deployed to support the shipyard.

"Shall I fly up to the sky and deal with those first? I can also check which of those towers is real."

"If you start flying up there in your original form, the three of us will be as good as dead, Murakan. And by the looks of it, there are more than a hundred."

Even if these battleships were illusions like the towers, flying openly above the Lutero Magical Federation would be madness.

If it were that easy, there wouldn"t have been a need for the infiltration plan.

"Ah, this is a specialty of that despicable demon."

"Misha-nim?"

"Yes, that"s right. I don"t have the ability to discreetly eliminate these barriers. Although I might be able to break through them with brute force."

"I can roughly understand the basis of the confidence Joshua has shown. He has a means to avoid being exposed to the barriers. Unlike me, he probably planned to steal the Second Magic Tower, not the inside of the shipyard, from the moment we set up camp, so he must have prepared the necessary means in advance, using the power of the Prophet," said Dyfus. Jin had similar thoughts.

"And he probably thought that we couldn"t get through it. He moved as if he wanted us to follow him," Dyfus continued.

As he said, Joshua had a hidden motive to "actively use" Jin and his group.

Since Jin and Kinzelo wouldn"t be able to pa.s.s through the barrier as quickly as he could with the key, he naturally wanted to use them as bait after breaking the vault.

Even if the vault opened without a trace with the key, the fact that there was an intrusion and theft would soon come to light.

Naturally, Zipple would have to locate the culprit.

To do that, all barriers near the Second Magic Tower would have to be removed to facilitate the search for allies, and then Jin and his group, along with Kinzelo, who were still wandering among the barriers, would become the main suspects and be subjected to intense pursuit.

This was part of the scenario that Joshua desired.

Ttak!

Dyfus clenched his teeth, vaguely guessing the process.

He couldn"t let things go on like this.

"Murakan-nim."

"Yes."

"How about advancing while using my body as a shield? I"ll do my best to handle the traps, while Jin and you follow Joshua as fast as possible."

"Is that so? Are you as st.u.r.dy as the First Flagbearer of Runcandel?"

"I can endure to a certain extent."

"Do you know how destructive these traps can be?"

"As Jin said last night, this is a time to take risks. Such a risky opportunity may not come again. Let"s go in, gather real information, and kill Joshua."

"That"s bold, I like it. Put your body on the line, and let"s overcome this crisis."

Murakan, speaking as if he agreed, looked at Jin for a moment.

As always, the decision had to be made by him.

Jin flatly refused with an att.i.tude that there was no need to worry.

"No, that"s a last resort. If by any chance you fall into a trap, the losses will be too great, older brother Dyfus, and if our location is exposed due to the activation of the barriers, there will be no escape."

"I knew you"d say that, the younger one. Do you have any other option?"

Swish!

Bradamante came out of its sheath.

"...I have experienced this terrible desert once. I have a sword that I obtained along with enlightenment at that time, and I think it might work."

Shadow Blade

First Movement: Soul Slash.

Jin had pa.s.sed through the final gate of the Great Mitra Desert with that sword.

Although Zipple"s barriers and magic were formidable, they didn"t seem superior to Solderet"s trial.

After forming a blood alliance with the Phantom Legion Mercenaries, the Soul Slash had also been effective when the remains of the Seigal Clan tried to commit suicide in the unnamed desert in the eastern part of the Empire...

Swiish...

The blade of Bradamante darkened.

"If the Shadow Blade doesn"t work, then I"ll consider using my knowledge to personally unravel the barriers and spells. And if that doesn"t work, then I can consider putting you in the front, older brother."

Jin closed his eyes and began to concentrate.

The will to cut, the belief that he could cut, the will to cut and pa.s.s through.

The strength of will and knowledge acquired in the Great Mitra Desert pa.s.sed through his entire body and mind.

Before swinging the sword, a smile appeared on Jin"s lips.

This was because a mysterious and indescribable sensation extended from the tip of his sword, as if he had already glimpsed the future and the outcome.

The barrier and magic were cut with a gentle stroke of the sword.

Every time he lightly swung the sword, the sandstorm diminished, and the illusions covering the tower gradually faded away.

Jin continued to wield Bradamante until all the spells were erased, and it seemed as if he were performing a sword dance.

When Jin opened his eyes again, he felt refreshed, as if he had just taken a bath.

The horrible sandstorm and tempest had mysteriously disappeared.

In the serene twilight, with a gentle breeze blowing, the lonely White Night Tower appeared.

The White Night Tower was much closer than the illusions had hidden.

"The moment you have to risk your life for the Family shouldn"t be due to mere barriers like this, older brother."

After saying that, Jin waited for Dyfus to respond.

He felt that he owed him.

But for some reason, there was no response even after a few seconds.

Instead, the sound of Murakan clicking his tongue was heard.

"Hmm... Tsk. Well, after all, they were all real."

Dyfus was momentarily speechless, realizing that all the flying ships filling the sky were indeed "real."

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KO-FI

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