Chapter 147

< 146. The Boundary Between Siege and Defense (1) >

*

Under the window where the evening glow was fading, Fernandez gazed down at the Bronze Throne, lost in thought. The magic of the Bronze Throne could only be used three times a day. If pushed to its limit, it could manage five.

But even then, he couldn’t use grand spells of immense power. His strongest card was effectively sealed. In his previous life, he had been a Grand Magician who could combine dozens of grand spells to turn the tide of battle.

However, no matter how small or trivial, a craftsman’s skill always differed from that of an ordinary person in the fine details. Fernandez slowly rose from his seat, watching the setting sun.

He reached into a corner of the cabin and pulled out a glass bottle filled with green powder. Powdered Magic Stone. It was hard to come by, but if not now, when would he ever use it?

‘This should be saved for destroying Malerun’s Flagship, but…’

In gambling, the bigger the stakes, the bigger the reward. Fernandez poured the Magic Stone powder onto the floor without hesitation.

-*Sssssss*.

Like an hourglass being flipped, the fine green sand scattered across the floor. Fernandez’s fingers traced the air. [Creation].

*Saruk*, like a snake coiling, the sand swirled across the cabin floor in a specific pattern. Growing larger, more intricate. Fernandez quickly traced a gesture in the center. [Construction], [Spirit].

-*Chwak*.

Translucent arms stretched out from behind him. A pair of spectral arms simultaneously traced different gestures, and Fernandez slowly sat cross-legged in the center.

-*Sssssss*.

The sand crawled across the floor, forming bizarre patterns. Pulsing like a heartbeat, swirling and surging. Fernandez’s figure slowly sank into it.

‘Three hours… Today or tomorrow, Richter’s trap will appear. What are the odds?’

Richter’s attacks and the Elves’ navigation distance were decreasing exponentially. By calculation, today or tomorrow. If they went further north, they’d enter the northerners’ maritime territory, and unless Richter wanted to provoke them, he’d launch his operation while the fleet was in open waters.

-80% or higher. If Malerun’s greed is even half of Guimerin’s.

And Malerun’s fleet was located a bit further east from here. About a day’s distance. Far enough to be considered distant, but close enough for Malerun to take interest and approach under ‘certain conditions.’

‘What if he’s even greedier?’

-100%.

Faijashi chuckled. Fernandez laughed along. Greed and selfishness make people simpler. Especially when what they desire most is on the verge of disappearing before their eyes.

This applied equally to thousand-year-old Elves and monstrous Vampires.

*

As soon as the sun set, their attack began. A simple operation of boarding ships. With dull eyes, rotting faces, and bodies swollen from saltwater, they merely climbed over each other’s shoulders to get on board.

“Push them back! Don’t let those filthy feet touch the deck!”

Leia swung her sword and shouted. Every time her blade left its sheath, Ghouls were split in half and thrown into the sea. But there was no end. Countless corpses were battering the ship’s hull.

“How did they make so many? How much blood did Richter drink?!”

-*Sssssk*!

A Ghoul’s neck split, and its body collapsed to the floor. Too easy. No more Dreadwights or high-ranking Vampires appeared.

‘The high-ranking Vampire clans were annihilated in the City of the Awakened Dragon!’

The dawn of Melisildur that erupted in the heart of the City of the Awakened Dragon had wiped out their forces, sinking them into the abyss. No matter how exceptional Richter was, the forces he could muster in just a year were limited to this.

‘He’s no fool. What does he plan to do with these ragtag troops?’

*

Deep in the abyss, red eyes glowed. White curls swayed in the seawater, and pearly fangs glinted under the occasional moonlight. Richter laughed as he listened to the heavy sounds descending from above.

“Grand Duke.”

A woman slowly emerged from the darkness, her red eyes glowing. She knelt before Richter under the moonlight.

Her lower body was a serpent’s tail. The scaly tail writhed on the broken wooden planks.

“They’ve approached.”

“Timed it perfectly, didn’t we?”

Richter smiled as he gazed at the distant sea. Delaying and luring. They were like bears caught in a snare. Thrashing wildly, but ultimately trapped prey.

He had drawn them in far enough. Five days of tedious pursuit had exhausted them, and they were now too far out at sea to escape.

Countless Ghouls were swimming up from the depths. Richter slowly flicked his fingers.

-*Fwoosh*.

Around him, women with serpent tails traced gestures. Simultaneously, red light flared beneath their tails. Richter bit his thumb, letting blood drip.

Countless Ghouls, once human. How much blood had Richter consumed to turn a thousand human corpses into Ghouls? And how much more over his long life?

Blood is the currency of life. Richter was no different from a tycoon who had amassed that currency, one of the few Vampire lords who could walk under the sun.

His blood was poison. A single drop could extinguish countless lives. And no matter the direction, excessive power always carries ‘power.’ Be it magic or divinity.

-*Sssss*.

Richter’s blood began to pollute the deep sea. Spreading like red mist, it seeped into the wooden planks beneath him. Soon, the gestures of the sea witches intensified.

-*Fwoosh*!

The red light connected, forming a massive spell. The wooden planks glowed red, and Richter’s blood became the bridge linking the spell—

-*Kwaaaah*!

Light began to race through the deep sea. Illuminating the vast seabed like a torch burning away the darkness. From the planks Richter stood on, downward, downward. Gradually outlining his position—

Soon, a massive ship began to glow red. The outline of wood and sun, a fortress-like shape, spires and columns, streets and houses below. A wooden city appeared—

-*Fwoosh*.

Red flames raced through it. Deep-sea fish scattered in fear. The city at the seabed’s heart began to burn and tremble.

‘It’s nothing but a patchwork. It couldn’t even replicate the protective spells, rituals, or magic. Just a crude imitation pieced together with salvaged planks…’

Yet Richter laughed deeply. His Ghouls, his hunters, the heroes’ pursuit, the Elves’ vigilance—his soldiers, gathered one by one. Unharmed, undying, eternal workers even in the water.

The puppets dying on the surface weren’t his true forces. His real army, the handful of elite soldiers barely salvaged from the City of the Awakened Dragon, had never faced the Elves.

They had waited for this moment. For the enemy to let their guard down, to think his forces were spent, his power exhausted. To come this close. His soldiers had waited solely for this moment.

‘True revenge is when the enemy’s blade strikes their own neck, and you lick their blood.’

Like a conductor, his arm moved exaggeratedly. Simultaneously, the plank he stood on shook. Countless soldiers, reacting to his blood, rose with strength, stomping their feet, lifting levers, pushing gears.

-*Kreeeeak*.

He stood at the highest spire of this sunken fortress. Once a great…





From the position where the Eternal King once looked down upon his people. Now, atop the barely remaining ruins of a shattered pillar.

“Guimerin, your castle will finally be mine.”

The Eternal King’s fortress began to rise once more towards the sea.

*

-Kurrrrung!

“What? What is it?”

Leia barely managed to keep her balance as the ship suddenly shook. The ghouls climbing the ship’s walls were thrown into the sea by the impact.

An old man, panting, approached her and shouted.

“A massive surge of magic is detected on the sea surface, Your Majesty!”

“I can feel it too. Send the minions! Find out what they’re up to!”

“They’re all dead. In an instant!”

“They knew we were tracking them. They knew we were watching. But why, why now?”

-Kurrrrung!

Once again, the sea surface shook. The vibrations from the seabed were shaking the sea.

“Only Richter could wipe out the minions in an instant. He’s coming.”

“They’re cornered, Your Majesty.”

The captain approached, bowing as he spoke.

“Their forces are now just lowly ghouls. This is Richter’s last stand. Don’t worry. We’ve barely lost any troops. He can’t face the entire Guimerin clan alone.”

*

-Kurrrrung.

Fernandez, meditating inside the cabin, opened his eyes as he felt the vibrations. The night sky was now pitch black, with no moonlight, only dark clouds. Bat clouds. A phenomenon that occurs when the Franzrit vampires take to the battlefield.

-Richter.

‘Yes, today was the day.’

He could feel the magic surging. Something was rising from the seabed.

‘He wants to recreate Infermur.’

Back in Infermur, Richter tried to awaken the dragon to destroy Guimerin’s flagship. In this sea, Richter sought to face Leia with Malerun’s power. His strategy was consistent. Overwhelm the enemy with a stronger external force.

‘What has he prepared? The Great Sky Keyan?’

-No, if Keyan had fallen to Richter, we would have noticed in our previous life.

‘Then it’s not Keyan. What other weapon could there be under the sea that would allow him to act so boldly?’

Fernandez frowned at the magic rising from the seabed. Fully revealing his scheme meant that the old, cunning vampire now had the confidence to face the entire race.

This wasn’t Malerun’s style. This was solely his plan. Fernandez kept pondering, continuously tapping his minion.

‘The Guimerin clan is still the strongest in the North Sea. Unless it’s a surprise attack, how can he face all these elves on the sea?’

-Whatever his method, if the battle becomes chaotic, it’s to our advantage.

‘That’s true. But it’s not good.’

The dark green sand around him writhed. An hour. The battle needed to be at a stalemate for at least an hour.

-Even if the elves are mere scarecrows, even if the vampire summons another dragon.

‘We can hold out for an hour.’

No matter what commotion happens outside, his plan remains unchanged. Fernandez closed his eyes again, focusing on tapping his minion. The thick magic from the magic stones wrapped around his arm and began to form a spell at his fingertips.

*

The shaking ship regained its balance. The turbulent sea calmed. The ghouls, thrown into the sea by the impact, disappeared into the depths without any intention of returning.

“They’re coming.”

Leia held the rigging, one hand on the sword hilt, staring at the center of the sea. They’re coming, they’re coming.

Whatever they’ve prepared, it’s just their last stand. Leia thought as she stared at the sea where magic surged. Ships lined up around the magic’s epicenter, preparing to bombard.

The moment he reveals himself, the golden fleet will unleash a barrage. Leia’s hand trembled slightly with tension and excitement.

-Dooong…

A heavy vibration continued from the seabed. Leia prepared to blow the horn. Once again…

-Dooong…

The waves calmed, and even the surging magic quieted. The calm night sea, with no starlight or moonlight, was as heavy as the deep sea, the only light coming from the magic lamps on the ships.

-Dooong…

Now even the vibrations faded, leaving only silence. Just as Leia’s grip on the horn loosened—

-Kwaaaaaa!!!

-Swaaaa!

In front of them, above the sea where the golden fleet’s cannons were aimed, a waterfall-like surge of water erupted—

-Swaaaa!

The rising seawater poured down again, creating waves, and the ships began to drift helplessly. Hold the sails, drop the anchor, steer, stay alert! Numerous commands swirled in Leia’s mind. The kind of commands that should be given in such turbulence. But.

-Swaaaa…

Leia, and the elves of the golden fleet, just stared blankly at the shattered city rising from the sea. The massive outer walls, the destroyed reliefs, the half-ruined pillars and towers beyond…

The city where Leia had spent half her life. The ancient ruins she thought she’d never see again.

“…The King’s Flagship!!”

Leia stared blankly at the fortress rising from the sea, drenched by the falling seawater. That’s… the one that sank near Infermur…

It was impossible to salvage. The plan to raise and rebuild it couldn’t even be proposed. No matter how much effort or resources were spent. It was literally impossible.

But…

‘Vampires and ghouls can operate underwater.’

‘Franzrit has been inactive for the past year.’

‘The waters near Infermur have fallen into the hands of the Dane Kingdom. Monitoring that area wasn’t our role.’

Countless pieces of information struck her mind. Then, screams began to echo around her flagship. The dull noises of ghouls hitting the ship…

“All troops…”

What should she do? Leia was about to blow the horn and order a retreat but stopped. If Guimerin’s flagship has been restored, as a Guimerin elf, she can’t give up. The King’s Flagship is their cradle, home, and territory. In a situation where it’s unclear how long this wandering will last, the flagship is essential.

Elven Wild Princes were climbing the hull, swinging their weapons at the ghouls. The sounds of battle erupted from all sides.

“Your Majesty! Your orders!”

“All troops…”

Leia stared blankly at Guimerin’s flagship. Ghouls, vampires, and Dreadwights were pouring down from the flagship’s walls.

The sea battle between vampires and elves resembles siege warfare. The vampires pounded the hull as if attacking a city wall. And now, the roles have reversed—

‘We’re the ones besieging.’

Now it’s the elves pounding that massive fortress. Stop the enemies pouring down and advance towards that fortress. Could Leia dare to say such a thing to her kin? How many elite troops would be lost in this battle?

Leia bit her lip. Even salmon swimming upstream against a waterfall would be in a more favorable situation. The waterfall doesn’t intend to kill the salmon. But the vampires pouring down are clearly slaughtering the elves.

-Srrrung.

Then, golden hair fluttered beside her. It was Abel. She drew her sword and took the horn from Leia’s hand.

“Child, your goddess is the ‘Goddess of Dawn.’ Dawn is the light that breaks after the darkest night. As a member of the Goddess’s race, and as the one leading that race, you must be the first star that burns away the darkness.”

“Abelesas…”

“Kirhas. Where is the chance of victory?”

Kirhas appeared with a cold expression. She cut down a flying vampire and surveyed the battlefield with icy eyes. One hand reached into her robe, and soon a pipe appeared in her hand.

As she arrogantly gestured, an elf knight reflexively lit her pipe. The overwhelming presence and authority were palpable.

Puff, she exhaled a short puff of smoke. Kirhas took off her black, glossy cloak and handed it to the knight.

“Just hold on.”

“How long do we need to hold on?”

“Their forces aren’t infinite, and the exchange rate with elven forces is overwhelming. For now, we just need to withstand their assault. It’s too early to switch to offense.”

Kirhas finished her pipe and dropped it on the deck without hesitation. She stomped out the embers and glanced at the door leading to the cabin.

“Until His Excellency comes out. He’s already prepared for this situation.”