Chapter 283

RMSBS – Episode 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 Desir’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 .

—-

Chapter brought to you by mokura .

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ED: Purplemen101

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