Chapter 299: Strength, and the Worship of Strength (10)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 299: Strength, and the Worship of Strength (10)
“I never imagined I would meet my end at the hands of the flagbearers' swords, rather than Lord Cyron’s. If I have one regret, it is that.”
Barton spoke as he watched Dipus’s sword.
Crystals of aura had formed upon the greatsword Volgar. They looked less like mere energy and more like solid, jagged ore.
Boom! Screeeech!
The clash resumed, and Barton was the first to charge.
He had already expended too much power to display his original martial prowess. However, even with his aura and stamina nearing their absolute limits, the earth groaned under the desperate struggle of a 10-star knight staring into the abyss of death.
With every step he took, the ground cracked and rocks shattered. The protective barrier surrounding his body was only at the 8-star level, but the sheer sharpness of the energy it contained was enough to send ripples of sonic booms through the air.
It was the final flare of his life’s energy, fueled by every remaining drop of his essence.
The look in Barton’s bloodshot eyes was one of pure madness.
A self-mocking emptiness from having his role as a spy exposed and losing all the honor of the Black Helmet; the shame of dying to the swords of flagbearers instead of Cyron Runcandel; and the pride he had once held in his heart as a Black Knight before meeting Kelliark Zipple and betraying Runcandel—all these emotions were warring within him.
Barton certainly had a firm belief in Zipple. He was convinced that by siding with them, he could surpass the limitations of the human species and reach true transcendence, not just the word itself.
Yet, Barton Vichena was still undeniably human.
Though he had attained martial power nearing the limit, though he had long ago cast aside guilt and the fear of being hunted, and though he hid his emotions behind a black helmet—he was still human.
“You must be ashamed, Barton Vichena. Seeing you run wild with such empty posturing. Do you really think you have enough honor left to deserve death at my father’s hand?”
Jin saw through the chaos of Barton’s inner state.
Instead of an answer, a blade flashed toward his throat. The strike was a blur. To see it as a blur meant the blade had already passed.
Reflexively stepping back half a pace, Jin almost reached up to touch his neck without realizing it.
Talent or achievement.
If either had been lacking, he would have raised his hand to check his throat—to see if he had been cut or if he had dodged by a hair’s breadth. And in that momentary opening, he would have allowed a fatal blow.
Instead, Jin thrust his sword forward in a counterattack.
Just as Barton’s attack had narrowly grazed Jin’s throat, Sigmund grazed Barton’s cheek.
Before the two swords could cross again, another sharp light flashed between them. It was the greatsword Volgar, falling with monstrous speed.
The three swords drew a vortex. As they collided, the sound of rupturing air echoed dozens of times per second.
The guardian knights maintaining the sword formation at a distance swallowed hard. Even though they were warriors of at least the 8-star rank, they did not dare to interfere in this battle. It wasn't because their swordsmanship was lacking.
Their bodies simply couldn't withstand the pressure. Without the blessed physique of a Runcandel or a Steel Body that had reached its limit, this was a fight one did not dare enter.
The shockwaves felt like thousands of shrapnel pieces raining down incessantly.
Phut, slice. Every time a small sound occurred—audible only to the combatants—a new scratch appeared somewhere on their bodies.
“Graaaaaah!”
Dipus let out a roar and shifted his footwork.
At that, the aura crystals on Volgar began to glow even brighter. Barton, seemingly wary of this from the start, continued to maintain his distance.
This was the aura he had saved, the energy he hadn't expended on the Kozec.
What Dipus had prepared was the Runcandel 6th Decisive Technique.
Lightning Flash.
The aura crystals on Volgar shattered. As the crystals scattered like glass shards, aura flowed between the hundreds of fragments.
Crackle!
An intense noise, like spreading lightning, erupted, and a blinding light flickered rapidly. With every flash of light, the trajectory of the greatsword shifted.
Because of the irregular form of the aura, the length of the blade shifted constantly, and the shattered crystals danced alongside the greatsword.
“Ugh!”
Barton spun his body and parried the greatsword. Even though it looked like a clean parry, his armor tore and blood sprayed. He had been caught by the bundles of aura attached to the greatsword.
He only suffered that much damage because he had been wary of it from the moment the crystals first formed. Had he not known the nature of Lightning Flash, even someone of Barton’s caliber would have struggled to avoid a critical wound.
The bundles of aura on the greatsword looked almost identical to lightning. Of course, it wasn't true lightning but aura, and anyone familiar with the Pluto Sword would recognize it instantly.
The Runcandel 6th Decisive Technique, Lightning Flash, was a technique modeled after the Pluto Sword.
It was a strange coincidence. Lightning Flash was a technique derived from the very move Jin was about to unleash: the Pluto Sword Ultimate Technique, Thunder Blade.
Zzzzzzt!
Sigmund absorbed the lightning from the Heart of Light. Crystals similar to those that had formed on Volgar now filled the pale blade.
‘...Is that the lightning the youngest uses? Why does it take a form similar to Lightning Flash?’
‘I heard all the elders except Zed refused to teach him the Decisive Techniques. How did he learn Lightning Flash?’
Dipus and Barton thought simultaneously. They couldn't help but be flustered as Jin unleashed a technique neither of them expected.
However, while it looked similar on the surface, it was entirely different.
If Lightning Flash merely increased the attack radius of the greatsword, twisted its trajectory, and expanded its striking points, then Thunder Blade formed dozens of ‘blades’ made of flowing lightning.
Zzzzt, sizzle!
Dozens of blue blades filling the air were aimed at Barton. Those blades flickered, making it difficult to read their movements.
“Aaaaagh!”
Barton swung his longsword with a desperate scream. His cloak was already in tatters, and his torn armor no longer functioned properly.
As he parried both Thunder Blade and Lightning Flash simultaneously, he looked almost like a brilliant white sphere. His longsword was moving that fast, striking out in all directions.
Jin and Dipus, pouring out their attacks, were equally desperate. Barton appeared to be entirely on the defensive, but if they showed even a single opening, a counterattack would fly.
Blood continued to spill into the air. It was difficult to tell whose it was, and the blood that splattered between the clashing swords evaporated in less than a second.
A finger flew through the space distorted by shockwaves. It was Barton’s index finger.
Yet, Barton’s momentum showed no sign of weakening. On the contrary, his sword became even more ferocious and faster, causing Jin and Dipus to momentarily step back.
What a waste.
That thought crossed Dipus’s mind. It made his blood boil that such a magnificent warrior had betrayed Runcandel. He was also curious. He wondered what Zipple could have possibly promised for Barton to reach the conclusion of betrayal. At first, he just wanted to kill him, but after clashing swords, those thoughts kept surfacing.
Jin, on the other hand, felt neither regret nor curiosity.
He could understand weakness, but he could not accept ugliness. Even if he possessed power beyond the 10-star rank, a person like Barton was not needed in Runcandel.
Slash!
Dipus’s greatsword cut across Barton’s chest. The deep, large gash broke his ribs and pierced his internal organs. Barton coughed up blood but showed no sign of pain.
His movements remained the same. It was hard to believe he was a human who had suffered such injuries, but Jin and Dipus could reach a conclusion.
It was time to take his life.
‘I should end this now.’
As Jin backed away, Dipus also increased the distance.
The exchange stopped for a moment. The fierce resistance from just a moment ago felt like a lie. Barton stood frozen in place like a stone statue.
In truth, Barton had lost his sight some time ago. Even as his vision darkened from blood loss, he had continued to parry the attacks of the two men.
Sigmund discharged lightning once more. At that, the Thunder Blades floating in the air gathered toward Jin. Dozens of swords made of lightning hovered behind Jin’s back, aimed at Barton.
Dipus’s Lightning Flash took a similar form. The blades and bundles aimed from both sides numbered nearly a hundred.
Amidst the crackling noise, Barton’s ragged breathing stood out.
“Barton Vichena.”
Barton could not answer. Blood flowed back into his throat, and he could only make a gasping sound. Even though he was blind and his feet were frozen, a radius of about twenty meters was still within Barton’s strike zone. In other words, as long as they stayed beyond twenty meters, they would never be attacked by him.
“Zipple must have promised you eternal life, the ultimate power, or something similar. And you must have personally witnessed the clear evidence and grounds for it with your own eyes.”
The energy of Thunder Blade and Lightning Flash glowed brighter and brighter. The two energies no longer flickered but burned steadily.
“It was likely the Demon God Stone. I have also personally seen the dead resurrected and people gaining immense power through that strange object. It was a mysterious power that anyone would be tempted by.”
At those words, Dipus’s eyes twitched. He had never heard the term ‘Demon God Stone’ in his life. He hadn't even seen it in the classified documents accessible only to those of the 4th Flagbearer rank and above.
“But Barton, do you know? I have also already experienced that Demon God Stone being shattered by a Runcandel sword.”
Barton lifted his head.
That can’t be. It’s impossible for a mere human to destroy that.
He wanted to say that, but only black blood came out of his mouth. Since the Demon God Stone Barton had seen and the one Jin had experienced were ‘different,’ it was natural for him to think destruction was impossible.
“Even my father knows of that object’s existence. So, do not dream of anything. The death you face today is final. Resurrection, eternal life—such vain things will not happen.”
Just before thrusting Sigmund forward, Jin added a final thought as if he had just remembered something.
“Ah, and it turns out Hell is a real place. From the glimpse I caught of it, the scenery seemed to suit you quite well. I hope you settle in well.”
Whoosh!
As Sigmund cut through the air, the Thunder Blades shot forward all at once. Dipus’s Lightning Flash also surged toward Barton, leaving afterimages in its wake.
A short, violent final resistance began.
Out of the hundred or so blades and bundles that poured down in a single second, Barton showed the monstrous strength to parry nearly half of them.
However, he could not prevent the other half from tearing his body to shreds.
No scream was heard. Only the dry sound of blood, flesh, organs, and bone splattering drifted between the flagbearers and the knights.
Eventually, when Barton’s body was completely dismantled, Jin slowly walked toward the spot where he had stood.
Though his body and armor were all destroyed, for some reason, the black helmet—the symbol of a Black Knight—lay on the ground almost perfectly intact.
Jin picked up the helmet and turned to the knights.
“Mission complete. Everyone, we are returning.”
“Loyalty!”
The knights offered a sword salute. Dipus was displeased that the knights had saluted the 12th Flagbearer, the youngest, instead of himself, but he did not scold them.
It was because he acknowledged that they could not have succeeded without Jin.