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Hee, hee...!
As the Demon's God's Orb activated, a massive flame spread across the entire battlefield, accompanied by an ominous resonance.
The knights who rushed forward like a swarm were swept up in the flames, forming a river of burning corpses.
With a dry expression on his face, Veradin incinerated the enemies as if they were mere trash.
'In the end, even my friend has resorted to using this ominous power... Moreover, that appearance isn't that similar to Kelliark Zipfel!'
Dante pushed down the bitter feeling welling up in his chest and broke through the enemy lines.
He couldn't accept the transformed appearance of Veradin.
The Demon's God's Orb, evil god, and other terrifying powers beyond reason and common sense were destroying the clans, the land, and friends. They were pushing them into death.
'Jin, are you alright...!'
Dante swung his sword fiercely, as if venting his anger.
The sight of the chaos knights dispersing in all directions like a swarm continued without respite.
Among the three vanguards, Kadun and Bale were slightly slower in their breakthrough due to evading the main cannons and magic of allies while flying, but Dante was cutting through the enemy lines without any hindrance.
The pure white radiance on Rashid seemed like a halo.
What first made Dante falter was Lionel's sword.
Swoosh! Clang!
Dante blocked the straight thrust, causing a large arc to form on the ground.
The sensation of his lower body and waist stiffening made Dante open his eyes wide.
[It seems like you're filled with rage, young Sword Emperor.]
Lionel's aura, having reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship, left a trace and inflicted shallow wounds all over Dante's body.
"Aren't you angry? Seeing the fallen state of the clan you once led."
Lionel smirked and shifted his gaze to Rashid.
[Depravity to become stronger is merely another name for struggle. The matriarch or the 12th flagbearer, which side is correct will be perfectly proven once this war is over.]
Hiss!
This time, a blade of invisible energy grazed Lionel's cheek.
[An invisible sword... Interesting. Is this the sword your grandfather first mastered? I can't understand what this era has become. How many absolute rulers were there in my time? Now, it's such a shining era!]
Lionel burst into laughter, genuinely enjoying himself, like a madman.
The clash of their swords scattered his laughter.
However, Dante couldn't fully concentrate on the battle.
The reasons for the separation between Jin and the allied forces, Veradin's deteriorated state, the ever-increasing chaos army despite the thousands already dead, and Dante's difficulty in controlling his emotions at this moment, all these elements combined to create an indescribable sense of discomfort.
'Is it because I'm worried about Jin? Or is it because there are too many enemies? I need to focus, why suddenly…'
Until just now, Dante had pierced through the enemy lines driven by intense hatred, but now even with a formidable adversary right in front of him, his thoughts were scattered.
Since reaching the pinnacle, or even before that, Dante had never experienced such a state of mental turmoil.
Especially during a crucial moment like this.
Lionel didn't miss that fact.
[To be thinking about something else in front of me, that's a first. Are you alright, young Sword Emperor? Unlike me, you only have one life!]
Swoosh! Thud!
Dante blocked Lionel's horizontal strike, but was pushed back several dozen steps to the left and rolled on the ground.
His delayed reaction caused his stance to crumble.
And it wasn't just Dante who fell near that spot.
Another vanguard, a former matriarch from a different division who had started a battle with Bale moments ago, was pinned beside Dante.
She immediately got up, swung her dual swords towards Bale, who was about to charge again, and Dante adjusted his posture to evade Lionel's follow-up attack.
[Hey, Dante! Why are you being pushed around by some random guy? Fight properly, will you? Why do your eyes look so vacant?]
Even Bale, who spoke like that, seemed to have no spare capacity to assist Dante at the moment.
Once again, Dante's gaze was stolen by the former matriarch from the other side, whom Bale was fighting against.
[What's with the chains on their face?]
That former matriarch also had chains wrapped around her face, a clear sign that she resisted Rosa. However, the allied forces on this side were still unaware of this fact.
The reason Bale couldn't easily overpower his opponent was because it was Rosa who controlled her.
Bale was more accustomed to battles where he subdued his opponents with pure destructive force rather than the finesse of swordsmanship, so the matchup wasn't favorable.
However, Dante found himself shouting at Bale without even realizing it.
"Sir Bale, before you kill that person, remove the chains on her face!"
He didn't know the reason.
Somehow, Dante had a strong intuition that if Bale severed the chains on that former matriarch's face, it would alleviate the oppressive feeling weighing him down, like a dormant burden.
[What did you say? Why the chains? And more importantly, who are you to give me orders?]
"Please, just do it! It's not an order, it's a request."
[It's noisy. I'll just kill her.]
Continuing, Dante also glanced at the former patriarch at Kadun's side. He had no chains on his face.
Once again, Bale turned towards the former matriarch bound by chains and moved to the left side of the battlefield, while Dante parried Lionel's relentless sword strikes and headed towards the center of the battlefield.
[Oh, is it because you couldn't concentrate due to the effect of the chains? I'm curious about how you discovered it.]
Instead of answering, Dante scattered his invisible sword techniques.
His senses were dulled compared to usual, and he led a clumsy battle to buy time and regain his composure.
[It's obvious what you're trying to do. Besides, something like that doesn't suit your straightforward sword.]
Lionel's words exploded with chaos as he dissipated the invisible swords that filled the air.
Dante found himself in a position where he had to pursue Lionel's movements.
Moreover, due to Lionel's mention of the "effect of the chains," Dante's attention was even more drawn to that direction.
While being overwhelmed by the enemy, Dante had reached the point where he couldn't help but constantly look towards Bale.
Certainly, it seemed that witnessing the chains being severed would pierce his heart and allow him to fight properly.
[Sword Emperor, why have you been acting like this since earlier... It seems you have fallen into madness.]
As Lionel said, Dante's current state was no different from being immersed in madness.
In a situation where a single moment of carelessness could cost him his life, he couldn't focus on the center.
The residual wounds on Dante's body grew deeper.
However, Dante was still more conscious of the chains on the former matriarch from the other side who was still battling Bale than Lionel's sword.
Even Veradin, who was wreaking havoc in the sky and unleashing magic across the entire battlefield, couldn't understand Dante's behavior as he looked down upon him.
'Dante Hairan, what are you up to? The enemy is right in front of you.'
'Please, sever them... quickly!'
Clang!
In a moment of intense longing, Bale severed the chains on the former matriarch.
Just like Alpen, a strong and clear face untainted by chaos was revealed.
As soon as the chains were severed, she sheathed her sword, and her gaze met Bale's.
[I, Tasha Runcandel, the descendant who committed sins due to weakness, express my gratitude, Sir Bale. I am the 21st matriarch of the Runcandel Clan, Tasha Runcandel... thanks to my ancestors releasing me from bondage, I can finally wield the sword not as an evil god, but by my own will.]
Tasha Runcandel.
She was Alpen's daughter and the 21st matriarch of the Runcandel clan. Like her father, she refused to succumb to the powers of evil god.
Bale looked at Tasha in astonishment.
She had a face that closely resembled Sarah's.
[Uh... Y-yes. So, those chains were a form of restraint?]
[Yes, Ancestor. I apologize for my disrespectful behavior under the control of the evil god. Furthermore, may I have permission to fight alongside the 12th flagbearer of the current Runcandel?]
While bound by the power of the evil god, Tasha had been able to assess the current situation through Rosa's inner self.
[Well, I don't have the authority to grant that... But I'm sure that guy would be eager to welcome you with both hands.]
[I understand it as an honor.]
In a chilling manner, determination and fierce resolve were mixed in Tasha's eyes.
Those eyes were not directed towards a temporary alliance but towards the army of chaos.
Ah!
In that moment, Dante finally realized what had been dragging him into madness all this time.
'You can come back...! Veradin! Just like that, you can return!'
Just as Tasha Runcandel had freed herself from bondage and once again illuminated the will of the Runcandels.
The thought of Veradin, their friend who had become a monster, being able to return at any moment also brought peace to Dante's restless mind.
The pressure to manifest himself as the Sword Emperor and demonstrate his worth in this war against the never-ending army of chaos didn't pose any problem.
Dante firmly believed that he would ultimately win and that the army of the evil god would be forever eradicated from this world, a conviction that had never wavered from the beginning.
His only concern was that after the final battle, Veradin might not be able to return to his original self and become another evil god.
Lionel's sword was flying towards Dante's head.
Without turning his body, Dante formed a whirlwind with his invisible sword.
Unlike the previous time when it disappeared without a trace, Lionel was unable to break through the whirlwind this time.
"You were right, Lion King. I momentarily fell into madness."
[Finally trying to regain your composure, huh?]
"But you have been falling deeper and deeper into darkness since the day you resurrected. That's why you, who was once the pinnacle of the swordsmen, couldn't defeat me. And you probably didn't even realize that death was approaching you."
[What nonsense... Hah!]
Unexpectedly, Lionel let out a gasp and looked down at his side.
Death, a sword symbolizing Yona, was piercing his side.
"Hehe."
Yona avoided Lionel's rough attempt and disappeared into the chaos of the battlefield in an instant.
"You warned me that my life is only one, unlike yours, Lion King. It was because of your unwavering belief in continuous resurrection and the power of the evil god that your sword has become dull. After awakening from the mausoleum, how many times have you died this time?"
Dante closed the distance in an instant.
"I sincerely hope that this will be the true end for you. I pray that you will escape from the swamp of the evil god, even if it means dying."
Slash!
Rashid passed through Lionel's neck.
A thud, the fleeting sound of a head falling.
As Dante turned his head to find the remaining former patriarchs, he caught sight of Tasha and Veradin.
'Although we may have been separated, if we continue advancing toward the stronghold of the evil god, we will soon meet again, Jin. I believe that sight will give you strength as well.'
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***
2nd floor, below the ground.
As soon as Jin and the other four people finished descending, they felt the air becoming stifling.
The energy that interfered with aura and mana generation was much stronger on the underground 2nd floor.
"It's even… worse than… what Alpen said."
Bianca said while forming and dissipating aura on her greatsword. The aura on the sword was only at about 70% of its usual level.
The rest of the group was in a similar situation.
Even Alpen, who was unaffected until the chains were broken, was now experiencing the same effects.
"I feel like my senses have dulled."
"It's not just a feeling, it has actually dulled, Spectre's Captain. Although it's subtle."
Octavia sighed inwardly at Hedo's response.
Not only were they separated from their allies, but they were also facing problems with their own abilities. It was inevitable that they would feel burdened.
[The interference has definitely intensified more than I anticipated.]
"Perhaps the reason for the increased interference is that Sir Alpen was released from the control of the evil god."
[Now that evil god has more leverage as it is not losing energy to control me, so it strengthened the interference?]
"That's possible."
[It's a plausible theory.]
Although the group had no way to confirm it themselves, Jin's speculation was accurate.
However, if there was one overlooked aspect, it was Tasha's presence.
Not only Alpen, but Tasha was also released from her restraints on the side of the allied forces, so it was natural for the interference to become so severe.
Regardless of what happened, they had no choice but to move forward. Jin reminded the group of that fact once again.
Once again, they found themselves in an endlessly vast and dark space.
The group walked silently as if they were walking on a desert.
They began to see something. A few silhouettes of people were visible in the
distance.
'This time, there are five....'
As the distance closed, the exact number of heads became clear.
The fact that their numbers matched exactly, as if it had been intentionally arranged, made the group feel uneasy for a moment.
[Please come forward.]
The knight standing in the middle spoke.
Jin immediately recognized him when he saw the twin swords hanging from the knight's waist.
'It's the 16th patriarch, Lyon Runcandel. The person with the greatsword is the 29th patriarch, Tucker Runcandel, and the person with the chain sword is the 35th patriarch, Neph Runcandel.'
On the other hand, the other two, who were carrying ordinary longswords, were unrecognizable.
If their faces were visible, Jin might have been able to recognize them by comparing them to past portraits and memories, but the chains covered their faces.
In other words, there were only two people whom Jin needed to show respect.
"I, the inadequate descendant, greet the two ancestors. Please bear with me a little longer. I will soon release your restraints."
[Just like the 20th patriarch standing there, do you think you can save these two as well?]
"That's correct, Lyon."
Swish!
Suddenly, Lyon's sword struck the left arm of the former patriarch next to him.
It was the former patriarch bound by chains. With a thud, the severed arm of the former patriarch fell without any response.
Jin narrowed his eyes and glared at Lyon.
[The patriarch is absolute. That has been the law of the clan since its inception. Those who violate that law, like you, are not needed in the clan. No matter how outstanding you are, you only cloud the water. You are undermining the authority of the current matriarch, Rosa Runcandel. Stop it now.]
Chewing!
A beam of light flew towards Lyon's chest. It was a sword energy shot by Alpen.
Lyon blocked the sword energy with his hand and glared at Alpen.
[In my youth, my heart used to race while listening to the tales of our clan's ancestors. But today, I realized that it was all a lie... Authority? What authority does the monster who brought our clan to this state have!]
[The 20th patriarch, you were hailed as the Knight of Light and led a great war to victory, breaking all precedents. It would have been admirable if you had upheld the will of the matriarch.]
[Silence! You must pay the price for tainting my memories today. Those without chains will be annihilated.]
Jin confirmed that Lyon did not continue attacking the restrained former patriarch.
'He left the right arm with the sword intact. Cutting off the left arm was just a provocation towards us, he had no intention to seriously lose power by killing the former patriarch.'
That meant Jin could save both former patriarchs bound by chains.
One against one.
It was natural for each person to fight one opponent at a time.
Since the moment Lyon severed the left arm of the former patriarch next to him, Jin had already chosen his opponent.
'I will face the former patriarch whose arm wasn't cut off and rescue them in the best possible condition. Sir Alpen will take care of Lyon.'
While Jin was thinking, Bianca kept her eyes on Tucker's greatsword.
"Jin... I want to face the Greatsword… over there..."
"In that case, Sir Hedo, please face the 35th patriarch who wields the Chain Sword. Octavia, take care of the ancestor who lost his left arm."
Among the five, Jin believed that Octavia was currently the weakest.
If she were accompanied by the Spectre Squad members or in a state enhanced by the Demon's God's Orb, it might be different, but at present, she had to face the opponent who posed the least threat.
"However, under no circumstances should you kill the ancestor. Once the chains are released, he will become an ally."
"I will try my best."
"Don't just try, you must do it."
Otherwise, I will kill you.
Jin didn't say those words out loud, but Octavia felt a chill run down her spine for a moment and clenched her teeth.
The roles were set.
There was no need for lengthy discussions. As long as no one got entangled with someone else, the fight would end when one side fell.
The beginning of the battle was announced by Jin's 3rd Decisive Killing Move of Runcandel, "Meteor Shower." White sword energies rained down, tearing through the dark space.
The former patriarchs of the Runcandel scattered left and right to avoid the meteor shower.
With each strike of the sword energies hitting the ground, earthquakes occurred, and powerful shockwaves spread.
Before the meteor shower unfolded even halfway through, the surrounding was filled with the clan's decisive killing moves.
It was only natural, considering there were six generations of the Runcandel clan present here.
If this were a normal castle, most of the buildings would have been destroyed without a trace before a minute passed.
From a distance, their fight seemed no different from a natural disaster.
The magnitude of power seemed to favor the former patriarchs.
Jin and his group were constrained in generating aura and mana, so it couldn't be helped.
The former patriarchs freely used both aura and magic.
A black storm relentlessly attacked them.
Only Jin's group was affected by the chaos. In order to fully bind their respective opponents and protect themselves, they couldn't avoid the chaos.
The group unleashed their full power without prior inspection.
They had to defeat their assigned opponents as quickly as possible and then switch to supporting others.
'It seems that the 12th flagbearer made the wrong judgment by engaging me in close combat with this former patriarch, expecting his power to diminish due to the loss of his left arm. What a miscalculation.'
Octavia thought as she parried the attacks of the former patriarch with her own.
Even though he was right-handed, not being able to use both hands was undoubtedly a critical limitation.
However, her opponent wielded a fierce and flawless sword, surpassing the other former patriarch in skill.
It was clear enough for Octavia, a mage, to see the significant difference in their abilities.
Within moments, Octavia could understand the reason.
'...It's not about fighting with his own skills. The puppeteer, the martial arts of the evil god has reached such a level. Even without one arm, it doesn't matter. Whether such a thing is possible or not…'
A chillingly sharp strike pierced through her body.
Perhaps due to a deeper level of inner world, Rosa was controlling the former patriarch with even greater delicacy than Alpen.
Jin was aware of that fact.
He, too, was sensing it as he clashed his sword with his opponent's.
'I should have put Sir Hedo instead of Octavia over there. If it continues like this, it's only a matter of time before Octavia is defeated. I have no choice but to defeat the ancestor as quickly as possible and help her.'
Just as Jin had thought that, Hedo's voice came through.
"Jin! Don't worry about the Spectre Captain, I'll provide support!"
"I... will do my... best to help!"
Fortunately, there was still a gap between Hedo and the 35th patriarch, as well as between Bianca and the 29th patriarch.
Alpen and Lyon were equally matched where Jin couldn't guess which side would win.
Soon, Jin fixed his gaze on his opponent.
Under the evil god's chains, Jin could see the unbeaten Runcandel's gleaming eyes.
"Evil god, what is the reason for constantly disgracing the ancestors like this? Even if you bind them with chains and forcibly control them, eventually, just like Sir Alpen, they will all turn their swords against you. You may be able to take their bodies, but you cannot corrupt their souls."
Ssak!
Blood spurted from both Jin's and his opponent's hands simultaneously. Their swords had grazed each other.
Both of them rotated their bodies to the right, shooting sword energy.
"Even if you don't have the soul, then the flesh will do. Do you want the real Runcandel so badly?"
Fwoosh...!
A faint mana enveloped Bradamante, igniting blue flames.
Eternal Flame, a fire that cannot be extinguished by anything.
"Your Runcandel is not legitimate. That's why you can't move real Runcandels without binding them with chains. In my view, the chains that control the ancestors are the manifestation of such deficiency and self-loathing. You pretend to be a god, but in reality, you are nothing but a weak and despicable human."
Seizing power with dirty means, oppressing people with fear, building a gigantic castle, and showcasing the power to destroy the world at any time.
No matter how much you try to hide your true form...
Your essence cannot be concealed.
With each continuation of Jin's words, his opponent's swordsmanship revealed flaws.
The swordsmanship that could remain flawless, was gradually crumbling.
Conversely, Jin's sword harbored deeper and clearer flames.
Inch by inch, the Eternal Flame approached the chains.
With a flawed sword, it was impossible to prevent the flame from getting closer. All Jin could do was endure and delay the moment the sword would touch the chains.
The exchange of attacks between Jin and his opponent continued until the resounding noise on the battlefield subsided.
Jin was so absorbed in his fight that he didn't know how much time had passed.
However, one thing was clear: Bradamante, now enveloped in the Eternal Flame, had reached his opponent's entangled chains.
Clang...!
With the sound of the chains breaking, Jin looked into his opponent's eyes.
It was not the face of the old Runcandel that was revealed when the chains were broken.
"Ro... sa!?"
Evil god, Rosa.
What the chains had concealed was her, in the form of a human.
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Jin's face contorted as he swallowed a gasp.
Fragments of chains falling off Rosa's face passed by slowly, as if frozen.
'Why... Rosa!'
The one who should have been covered by chains was the former patriarch who deserved respect.
Jin had deliberately fought at a disadvantage, driven by the sole conviction that he had to save such an ancestor.
He had missed opportunities to cut off the opponent's head several times, and he had endured so many injuries for the moment when he could have dealt a fatal blow.
The reason he couldn't help his comrades who had been fighting behind, beside, and in front of him was all for the sake of rescuing the ancestor who should have remained intact within the chains.
But what he had struggled so hard to save turned out to be evil god, Rosa.
And not only that, she looked so unharmed...
Released from bondage, Rosa did not glow with a faint indigo color like the other beings from the mausoleum, nor did she grotesquely transform into a chaos monster.
She simply had the appearance of a human, or rather...
She had the appearance that could be called Runcandel itself.
Long, black hair that seemed to be sucked in, eyes with a gleam of determination, a gaze that calmly and heavily pressed down on anyone who met it, and hands that firmly held the sword without ever letting go.
The hostess of the Runcandel clan, who led the Garden of Swords in place of the Chiron for many long years, and a giant of the era.
Rosa Runcandel was making eye contact with Jin.
Damn it all!
Unintentionally, Jin muttered a curse.
His breathing became rapid as if a momentary suffocation struck.
He barely suppressed the rising urge to vomit, accompanied by a cold dizziness, and reflexively distanced himself.
If the battle continued from this point, he felt like he would make a mistake.
I am done for.
That thought crossed his mind first. If Rosa staged this performance to give him a psychological shock, it couldn't be more successful.
The allies were also taken aback. They, too, had momentarily shifted their gaze from their respective opponents to Rosa.
'I must stay calm. This is just a trick of the evil god. The Rosa who appears to be human... must be some kind of fragment created by the evil god's power."
Jin gripped his sword.
"It seems your sadistic tendencies have increased... evil god. I never expected you to go this far to confuse me."
However, Rosa responded with a completely unexpected answer to Jin's words.
"Aren't you trying to save me because you know who I am?"
"What...?"
"Why do you refer to me as the evil god?"
Once again, Jin could only feel his insides twisting.
The released Rosa did not even have the resonant voice characteristic of the resurrected.
She seemed truly alive.
She seemed like someone who was determined to protect Runcandel at all costs.
Jin's heart was pounding like crazy.
"I am Rosa Runcandel. Why do you mistakenly believe that the monster that has bound me all this time is the same as me?"
"What are you babbling about..."
"Jin!"
"12th flagbearer!"
Urgent voices from behind were heard, belonging to Hedo and Octavia.
Swoosh!
At the same time, a sharp energy pierced through Jin's back.
It was a sword energy shot by a former patriarch aiming for Jin.
Due to Jin's focus on Rosa, his reaction was slightly delayed compared to usual.
The sword energy grazed his lower back, causing droplets of blood to splatter.
The wound was not deep.
The one who shot the sword energy was the one-armed former patriarch.
'...No, could it really be the former patriarch?'
Cutting off the chains doesn't necessarily mean Rosa will appear again.
An indescribable discomfort continued to cloud Jin's mind.
Dodging the incoming sword energy once again, he turned around to see his exhausted allies.
Bianca's opponent was in a state of near-death. Alpen and Lyon were both beaten up, but the battle was not decided.
Hedo had finished off the 35th patriarch and was assisting Octavia.
While facing both of them simultaneously, the one-armed former patriarch was displaying even greater strength than when the battle first began.
Since Jin had just released another chain, it resulted in an increased influence of the evil that affected that former patriarch.
"Ugh!"
Octavia bent forward, vomiting blood, as she took a step forward.
Hedo, protecting her, took several sword energies directly, leaving numerous wounds all over his massive body.
"12th flagbearer? Are you referring to yourself as the 12th flagbearer of the clan? And your sword is Bradamante, isn't it? Your name is Jin... Jin Runcandel. Strange things are happening."
Rosa spoke as if she knew nothing.
"Shut up!"
Jin threw himself towards Hedo's direction. He felt the need to buy him some time to recover, even if only briefly.
Rosa didn't hinder Jin as he started running away.
On the contrary, Rosa intercepted the sword energies flying towards Jin and protected him.
Rosa's sword, intercepting the sword energies, was not as powerful as the current evil god, or as powerful as Jin remembered during Rosa's time as acting matriarch.
Jin decided not to think about the intention of the evil god any further.
Clang!
Jin's sword clashed with the one-armed former patriarch's sword.
With just one exchange of offense and defense, Jin understood why Hedo and Octavia were struggling so much.
The former patriarch's sword possessed the power to inject chaos into the opponent, much like the evil god.
Now, the Grand Heir was closer to assimilating with the omen itself rather than just being controlled by it.
Jin activated eternal flames in Bradamante once again.
He needed to finish off the former patriarch as quickly as possible and bring order to this chaotic situation.
'I cannot completely dismiss the possibility of the one-armed former patriarch being another Rosa, but I need to confirm it.'
He couldn't simply discard the possibility of being a genuine former patriarch like Alpen.
If he closed off that possibility due to the overwhelming circumstances or doubts, it would be giving up on the ancestors who fought for the clan, even after an unwanted resurrection.
Therefore, he must break the chains without killing.
While Jin pondered, Rosa continued to protect him and stared at his back.
Like someone who had something to say. However, she seemed unsure of where to start.
Without acknowledging Rosa's gaze, Jin reached out his sword towards the one-armed former patriarch.
'Even if it's a trap, omen. I will not abandon a single one of my ancestors who resisted evil god until the end.'
Even if it's not an ancestor but another sudden appearance of Rosa, he would simply have to cut them down along with the Rosa behind him.
Jin's sword charging towards the former patriarch no longer held hesitation. The inner turmoil he experienced when suddenly faced with Rosa had started to settle.
As Jin regained his composure and began to focus on the former patriarch, Hedo and Octavia also started to regain their composure.
Bianca finally annihilated the 29th patriarch, coinciding with the moment when Jin and the one-armed former patriarch finished their hundredth exchange.
Hedo and Octavia reengaged, and the intense battle between Alpen and Lyon also came to an end.
The bodies of Lyon, Tucker, and Neph were disintegrating into particles as their heads rolled on the ground, shattered by the shockwaves of the battle.
The battle that started as a one-one was now in a five-on-one confrontation.
No matter how much they assimilated, the former patriarch was ultimately not the evil god.
Until now, the one-armed former patriarch had wielded a flawless sword even with one arm missing, but that was the limit.
The one-armed former patriarch had managed to hold on against the five opponents so far because Jin had decided not to kill him.
If he had fought with the intention to kill, the battle would have been much shorter.
Evil god, stop this nonsense and come out in person.'
Clang, swish...!
Bradamante uncovered a strand of chain that covered the face of the former patriarch. The eternal flames spread through the cracks, melting the links of the chain.
Little by little, the face inside the chain revealed itself, and once again, Jin's judgment was correct.
'It's not Rosa...!'
Though the chain was not completely severed, at first glance, the face was clearly different from Rosa's.
At that moment, as Jin attempted to cut the chain once more, the former patriarch unexpectedly thrust himself toward Bradamante, as if intentionally exposing himself to be stabbed.
Jin immediately reacted and sidestepped.
Only a few more seconds were needed for the eternal flames to consume the chain entirely, and Jin had no intention of losing his ancestor. Once a few seconds had passed, the bindings restraining the former patriarch would naturally dissolve.
However, the former patriarch did not pursue Jin as he dodged to the side.
'He's just passing me by?'
The intention of the evil god controlling the former patriarch was not to have Jin be fatally stabbed by his blade.
The evil god accurately predicted that Jin would evade.
The true target of the evil god was none other than herself, who was constantly observing Jin from behind.
Rosa.
All of Jin's allies were positioned in front of him. The only person remaining behind him was Rosa.
Puh-!
"Huh?"
The former patriarch's blade pierced Rosa's chest.
Although Rosa had displayed nearly flawless swordsmanship while being controlled by the evil god, for some reason, she, who stood behind Jin, failed to dodge even a single strike.
It was supposed to be her own blade.
"Ugh...!"
Suppressing a groan, Rosa grabbed hold of the blade that had pierced her body.
As the former patriarch, who stabbed Rosa, collapsed and ceased to move, Rosa dropped to one knee, gasping for breath.
"Ugh..."
Jin couldn't understand her current state.
Why did the evil god stab herself, and why did Rosa appear to suffer like a human?
And why was such a foreboding sense of dread overwhelming him?
He couldn't comprehend any of it.
But Jin unconsciously rushed toward Rosa.
It was a fatal wound. If Rosa were truly human, she would be on the verge of death.
"Evil god... What is the meaning of this?"
"Do you still see me as... the evil god?"
"Why are you behaving like a human...!"
Jin stopped talking in astonishment.
Rosa's face was much younger than he remembered, far younger than he thought she would be.
Suddenly, Jin realized that Rosa had appeared with a youthful appearance ever since he severed the chains.
She looked like someone in her early twenties, someone of his own generation.
His heart sank. Jin's breathing became heavy.
"Now, I vaguely understand the situation... Jin. You must be Chiron and my child. Chiron and I decided to name our last child, Jin..."
739
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Unfathomable actions, incomprehensible words. And a weak look that was incomprehensible.
His legs felt weak, as if they were about to give out. Young Rosa had no trace of any chaos.
She truly was a human.
[What is happening?]
"Jin, this... human is... the evil god."
"12th flagbearer, we must kill her immediately!"
Even the late arriving allies stared at Jin and Rosa, with their eyes wide open.
Octavia, on the verge of fainting, aimed her staff at Rosa.
Hedo lowered the staff with his hand.
"Captain of the Spectres, I am not sure how the situation has unfolded, but Jin has the right to judge."
Cough...!
Jin remained focused on the empty space, saying nothing, but when Rosa coughed up blood, he flinched and locked eyes with her again.
Is this person truly not the evil god?
If this is the evil god's plan, what could she possibly hope to gain by going to such lengths?
'Just to confuse me, it is excessive. If all of this is the evil god's cruel joke, she should have caused chaos and directly struck me and my allies after confusing us.'
However, Rosa, who had broken free from the chains, never attacked Jin even once. The invincibility displayed by the young Rosa couldn't even pose a threat to the group.
On the contrary, Rosa had even protected them while the other members fought the former patriarch.
Moreover, just before breaking free from the evil god's control, the former patriarch had stabbed Rosa instead of Jin.
That meant the evil god had tried to kill itself. Or its own alter ego.
'...alter ego?'
Suddenly, a single assumption flashed through Jin's mind.
What if the dying Rosa right now is a fragment that broke away from the evil god?
As Jin guessed, the young Rosa, who didn't want to be corrupted until the end, was a manifestation of the deepest essence of the evil god, which had once shone the brightest.
Now, in front of Jin's eyes, the dying Rosa was the true identity of that manifestation.
Initially, Rosa had no knowledge that she had originated from the evil god. She perceived herself as a completely separate entity from the evil god.
However, Rosa was aware that she was a twisted existence. This world was not the one she remembered.
Why did she end up trapped in the evil god's chains? Where were Chiron and the other knights of the clan? What was she doing right before being trapped?
Rosa couldn't remember any of it.
No matter how much she appeared to be human, in the end, she was just an unconscious entity separated from the evil god. It was only natural that she had no memories of what happened right before being trapped.
Young Rosa's memories were frozen on a certain day when she was twenty-three.
The day the evil god had longed for the most.
'It seems I am an existence that shouldn't be here, twisted and distorted. Moreover, that knight named Jin, who is probably my son, and everyone else, they all refer to me as the evil god.'
So, does that mean the dark monster that had bound her was her own future?
For some reason, the thought that this could be nothing more than a terrible nightmare never crossed her mind.
With great certainty and swiftness, she understood the situation she was in.
"Hahaha."
Rosa let out a hollow laugh mixed with a metallic sound.
Conflicting emotions surged within her.
She had too many questions. Why did she become such a monster? How was Chiron doing? how many children did she have? How much had the clan been endangered because of her?
From the pierced chest, the chaos spread throughout her entire body like poison.
"Jin, a little closer... Can you show me your face?"
Jin didn't answer and silently stared at Rosa for a few seconds.
"As you can see, I have suffered a fatal wound. It was inflicted by the evil god-controlled knight. It is proof that I am not on her side. Moreover, I could not pose any threat to you and your companions even if I were unharmed. So, release your guard. I don't have much time left."
Rosa concentrated her last bit of strength and spoke with a steady voice.
In the end, Jin knelt down and bowed his head towards Rosa.
As he suppressed his despairing heart and looked up again, the appearance of the young Rosa was both unfamiliar and familiar.
"You're handsome... It feels like my and Chiron's faces are precisely mixed. If you're the 12th flagbearer, are you the youngest?"
"There is one more person."
"Then, combined, we make thirteen? It seems Chiron and I were better than I imagined. What happened to him? I hope I didn't harm Chiron as well."
"He is alive and well."
"In that case, Chiron must be fulfilling his mission elsewhere. You, taking over Chiron's role, have taken on the task of defeating the monster I have become and reclaiming the clan..."
Every time Jin heard the pronoun "you," his brow furrowed.
Rosa faintly smiled while observing that expression.
"Your expression alone shows how terrible of a mother I was. As the hostess of the clan, I must have been the worst in history. It's not like there haven't been villains who crossed the line and committed immorality in Runcandel's history, but among them, I am the only one who became the evil god... or so it seems."
Young Rosa belonged to a completely different person from the Rosa that Jin remembered.
The latter was a demon who would do anything to ensure the prosperity and survival of the clan.
On the other hand, the Rosa before him, who was smiling bitterly, had eyes that were clear and deep, so much so that she could be said to be more suited to Hairan than Runcandel.
"Rosa."
"Speak."
"Why did you do it?"
To Jin's question thrown with malice, Rosa pondered for a few seconds.
"I lacked the qualities and qualifications to become the hostess of the clan."
"No, you were the acting matriarch that everyone revered before becoming the evil god. No one considered you inadequate to lead the clan in my father's place, and the clan members made every effort to gain your approval."
Rosa shook her head. She was losing strength due to bleeding.
"You were the acting matriarch who even enemies and people who despised you couldn't help but acknowledge. I was the same. Until you made a pact with the prophet and became the evil god. Until you became a monster who said that even if the whole world was destroyed, as long as the flag of Runcandel remained, nothing else mattered," Jin said.
"I said those words... and the things I am doing now."
"Through the power of chaos."
Rosa placed her hand on her injured abdomen and spoke.
The spreading chaos, like a tumor, was permeating her entire body.
"Yes."
"So, the reason I became a monster is clear."
It was the result of giving up the struggle.
Rosa spoke with a composed voice.
"I stopped fighting because I was tired, because I couldn't see the path anymore, or because I felt that I had done enough. Becoming the evil god must have been the easiest and most tempting path. Perhaps... among all the paths I have walked before becoming the evil god, it was the most alluring and effortless one."
Transparent tears rolled down Rosa's cheeks.
Remorse for a future she couldn't remember, self-loathing, and despair that the gruesome future had already occurred were chilling her inner self.
Against the real Rosa who had become a monster, there was nothing she could do.
Jin closed his eyes tightly.
"I am going as the clan's 12th flagbearer to make her pay for that. If you have any last words for the evil god, let me know."
"Please... let death not be a comforting escape. Let my wretched soul and body remain trapped somewhere, suffering endlessly, even in death. Let me... be by its side... always, desperately. Above all else, I sincerely..."
The group held their breath for a moment. Rosa's curse, pouring all her heart toward herself, weighed down on the people.
"I will convey it."
Rosa's remaining breath reached its limit.
Jin decided to be by her side until her death.
While Rosa's consciousness repeatedly faded in and out, she spoke to Jin.
"Jin, do you... have a lover?"
"No."
"In the past..."
"I don't know."
"Anyone who loves you… or you love anyone?"
"Why are you asking these things in this situation?"
"Because... you're handsome... like Chiron. I... liked that handsome… Chiron."
Jin couldn't help but burst into laughter.
The children of Chiron and Rosa had never had the memory of engaging in such ordinary and pointless conversations with their parents.
"More than that... there is no one who is handsome or stronger than him... besides Chiron, I haven't had any relationship with anyone else."
"What about Father?"
"If he is still wandering in the Black Sea, then maybe... Chiron, unlike me, is still continuing the struggle."
Rosa exhaled a handful of hot breath.
"Jin... my son, I'm sorry."
Definitely, stop me.
With those words, Rosa took her last breath.
Everything she spoke until just before her death were words that the Rosa Jin remembered could never say.
'Okay, I'll do it.'
Jin silently replied in his mind as he gently closed Rosa's eyelids.
Just as the deceased Rosa regretted an unknown future, Jin was bidding farewell to a mother from a past he did not know.
Silence hung in the air for a while.
"...The deceased Rosa was likely a manifestation or soul that separated from the evil god," Jin said, and the group nodded in agreement. They had also speculated the same while listening to their conversation.
[Perhaps the evil god itself did not desire this or it was an unforeseen separation. I have no memory of experiencing anything related to the hostess when I was bound by the evil god. Furthermore, it was the hostess who was attacked at the last moment through this former patriarch.]
Alpen, who had been kneeling beside Rosa's lifeless body, lifted the unconscious former patriarch and spoke. Neither Jin nor Alpen knew his true identity.
Young Rosa's body was becoming tainted with darkness. The tumor of chaos that had originated in her chest was rapidly growing.
Jin conjured a small flame on his palm.
It seemed he needed to take care of the body before it deteriorated any further and leave.
However, as Jin was about to drop the flame, he suddenly raised his head in surprise.
Unexpectedly, the voice of the evil god reached his ears.
[I wonder how it feels to witness the extinction of my remaining trace of humanity, my youngest. I did hope to see you personally putting an end to it... but this isn't bad either.]
740
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The group immediately pointed their swords in all directions. The form of the evil god was not visible, only the eerie voice reverberating through the vast darkness.
[What did it say to you? Although the curse, so unusual and long, clearly conveyed the grudge against me, I couldn't hear anything else,] it said.
Jin stared silently into the empty air.
"A monster doesn't need to know what humans talk about amongst themselves."
[Is that so? Are you saying that you felt this impurity, which was separated from me, as a human?]
"At least she was much closer to being human than you."
[Hehe, I don't know what you discussed, but it seems like the impurity, which was my last trace of humanity, has shaken your heart. Seeing that you were conscious of this corpse as soon as you heard my voice...,] it continued.
"Stop speculating. Show yourself and stop talking..."
Zzaaaack...!
In the instant Jin said those words, the young Rosa's corpse suddenly tore apart, flesh and bone fragments scattering in all directions.
The reason for the rapid expansion was the chaos attached to the corpse.
As the evil god had said, Jin had felt a strange emotion during his brief encounter with the young Rosa.
If she had remained as she was, with her pure and strong spirit, if she hadn't become an evil god, how would things have turned out... That's what he had wondered.
Perhaps that's why.
It was quite shocking when Jin witnessed the young Rosa's corpse being torn apart without any physical form.
Externally, he showed no expression, but he couldn't deceive the evil god.
[Such a sight is hard to bear, isn't it? If you had received the gift I intended to give last time, you wouldn't have to feel such useless emotions…]
It was a story about the prelude battle between Jin and Rosa that took place in the inner world.
The young Rosa's corpse had been completely torn apart, and the proliferated chaos had even swallowed up scattered pieces of the corpse like a leech.
Then, the chaos began to take on a definite form.
In an instant, a massive and dark silhouette was forming.
It had a quadrupedal posture resembling a beast.
Sinister pupils emit a disturbing light, claws and fangs larger than a human's, dark fur that seemed to absorb all light. It closely resembled a beast, a predator, in existence within the human world.
A black leopard.
The alias that symbolized Rosa in her human days.
The creature exhaled rough breaths as it looked down upon the group.
Jin clenched his teeth as he met the gaze of the black leopard.
"Now that you've abandoned your last trace of humanity, is it time to discard the alias you used in your human days? It's oddly nostalgic, clinging to your human days. Perhaps, deep down, you regret becoming the evil god and unconsciously engage in such despicable actions," Jin remarked.
[If there's one thing I regret, it's giving strength to Joshua instead of you. If I had recognized your true self from the beginning…]
The evil god's voice trailed off, followed by a sinister laughter that lasted for a while.
After about ten seconds, the evil god's voice no longer reached them. Instead, the black leopard advanced with determined steps, casting its shadow.
[Grrr…]
The black leopard circled around the group while keeping its gaze fixed on them.
Despite the heavy movements of its bulky body, no sound of footsteps could be heard.
The situation was far from favorable. Due to the fierce battle with the former patriarch, most of the group was injured to some extent.
Among the group, only Jin and Bianca were capable of fighting with their usual or similar level of power.
Octavia, in particular, was completely unable to engage in combat.
During the battle, the group had to protect her and the unconscious unidentified former patriarch.
As a result, the group briefly contemplated their strategy, but Jin had already made up his mind.
"Bianca, protect the others."
Jin intended to face the black leopard alone.
"Are you going to fight... alone?"
"Yes."
"That... How strong it is... I have no idea... It might be dangerous."
"If I find it too dangerous, then you can help."
"Well, um... Okay."
Bianca wanted to advise him to reconsider, but she stopped herself when she saw Jin's determined gaze.
Even she felt a chilling presence that made her spine shiver.
The accumulated anger towards the evil god and the frustrations of fighting against the former patriarch under unfavorable circumstances were exploding all at once.
"I'll destroy it."
As Jin muttered those words, the black leopard launched its attack first.
Its foreleg distorted space as it descended upon Jin's head.
Rather than avoiding it, Jin faced it head-on.
A shockwave spread, causing the ground to sink in a large semicircular shape.
But what the foreleg struck was not Jin, but the ground.
Just before the foreleg made contact, Jin swiftly sidestepped and swung his sword.
At that moment, the swing of the sword left a lingering trace above the momentarily paused foreleg of the black leopard.
It was an absurdly long and perfectly straight line, as if the entire space had been cut through.
After a while, as the afterimage disappeared, a hefty, solid object fell from the black leopard and rolled on the ground.
Thud!
The fallen object was the right foreleg of the black leopard, which had just swung towards Jin.
[Grrr!]
The fallen foreleg melted like water, creating a sticky puddle of murky aura.
Normally, the severed part should have regenerated instantly, but Bradamante was already imbued with a hazy Eternal flames.
The injured limb of the black leopard relentlessly attempted to regenerate, but the attached Eternal flames slowed down the process.
[Grr... Kahaak!]
The black leopard swung its remaining left foreleg, pushing Jin back.
However, Jin effortlessly sliced it off in one swift motion.
Once again, the sound of a solid impact resonated as the foreleg hit the ground.
With both forelegs gone, the black leopard couldn't maintain its balance properly.
In just two moves, it became evident that Jin had an overwhelming advantage in close combat, a fact that surprised both the black leopard and the allies.
Of course, the allies believed that Jin would have the upper hand, but they never expected him to overpower the monster so easily.
'Surely, the evil god didn't create this creature solely to defile the young Rosa's corpse. There must be some threatening element to it.'
Jin's gaze shifted to the fallen forelegs of the black leopard.
He observed bubbling puddles composed of sticky black aura, resembling a potent acidic solution.
'Is the ground being corroded?'
Throughout their descent into the inner world, Jin and the group had learned a few facts about this space.
First, as Alpen mentioned, once they descended, they couldn't ascend again. Second, the internal structure was constantly changing.
And third, the chaos that composed the subspace was nearly indestructible, making it almost impossible to demolish the building-like structure.
If it were possible, they would have simply destroyed everything and descended without encountering the guardians on each floor.
However, the puddles left by the melting black leopard's body were different.
They were dissolving the chaos walls that even Jin's Shadow Sword couldn't penetrate, turning them into a sugary liquid.
As a result, Jin momentarily ceased his attacks and examined the puddles.
In the meantime, the black leopard regenerated its forelegs, but they were far from perfect. The limbs were grotesquely formed, with only the skeletal structure remaining, and Eternal flames blazed along the severed parts.
Crunch, screech!
The black panther continued to attack with its front paws, screaming in agony due to the torment of Eternal flames.
Jin deliberately avoided the attacks, as it seemed unwise to strike down the creature before understanding the effects of the puddles.
However, the problem was that Eternal flames had already caused cracks in its regenerating parts.
Whenever the black panther missed its strike, the cracks widened, and its flesh and bone-like substances scattered in all directions.
Like the initially fallen front paws, they melted the ground upon contact.
Near Jin and the black panther, numerous large holes had already been created.
Inside those holes, an abyss of unknown depth, as seen when they descended to the lower levels of the inner world.
Like pieces of burning paper, the holes that appeared on the ground continued to widen.
Merely a few seconds had passed, yet the destruction had already expanded to the vicinity of his allies, who were positioned further behind.
The nature of these holes remained unknown. Whether they connected to the lower levels of the inner world or if they were traps from which they shouldn't fall into.
What was certain was that falling into those holes was exactly what the evil god desired.
Due to this, Jin ceased the battle and considered leaping towards his allies and an area not yet affected by the formation of holes. However, a chasm had already formed between him and his allies, making it impossible to jump across.
'How did this happen so suddenly!?'
With each passing moment, the Eternal flames clinging to the black panther had grown larger and more imposing.
It was no longer a black panther but rather a mass of flesh engulfed in blue flames.
Every time it moved, the flesh would splash out, instantly dissolving the space between Jin and his allies.
'The black panther wasn't created solely for combat. The evil god anticipated that I would use Eternal flames right away and prepared this trap!'
In other words, this situation was a means for the evil god to circumvent the Eternal flames, a warning of the dire consequences that could unfold if Jin continued to use it in battle—a warning of falling into an even more precarious situation.
For now, Jin created a path with his ice magic and leaped toward his allies.
If the ground continued collapsing at this rate, there would be no way to avoid the fall.
Therefore, it was better to stay close to his allies.
"Grab onto me!"
As Jin crossed the final ice path, he barely managed to grab Hedo's outstretched hand.
However, by then, over 90% of the ground had already melted away. Even the black panther that had been pursuing Jin had already fallen and was no longer visible.
In the end, the group found themselves tightly clinging to each other, waiting for the fall.
[When we fall, make sure not to let go of each other's hands. If it connects to the lower level, even a momentary release could result in us getting separated.]
As Alpen spoke, the group nodded in agreement, and as the last remaining section of the ground disappeared, they began their descent.
Thud...!
Unlike before, the fall ended abruptly.
Upon landing, the group heaved a sigh of relief upon confirming that they were all still holding onto each other's hands.
However, as they looked around, they quickly realized that this was not a situation for relief.
"...How many are there?"
Black panthers were swarming in all directions. At a glance, there seemed to be hundreds of them.
In the center, they could spot the fallen black panther that had descended with them.
And it was going berserk, in agonizing pain, transferring the Eternal flames that clung to it onto the other black panthers, much like spreading a contagious disease.
The group instinctively imagined what would happen next.
From now on, all of those black panthers would dissolve the ground with Eternal flames exposed.
If they couldn't stop it, there was only one thing waiting for them.
An endless fall.