Chapter 413: Why Hairan (7)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 413: Why Hairan (7)
“Grand… father…”
He forced the word out with all his might, but having only just regained consciousness, Dante’s voice was barely a whisper. Only Jin, standing right beside him, could catch it.
Yet, at that faint call, Ron turned his head. His gaze landed precisely on the outer wall where Jin and Dante stood.
“Grandfather!”
Grin.
Ron smiled at the sight of his grandson. He was drenched in blood from head to toe, but fortunately, it didn't seem to be all his own.
To think Sir Ron is injured that badly… I knew Verakt was one of the world’s strongest and expected a fierce battle, but still.
Seeing the wounded Ron with his own eyes felt surreal. Aside from Cyron, Ron was a man who vied for the title of the world's strongest.
And at a glance, Verakt’s injuries look less severe.
Was Verakt stronger than Ron?
For some reason, that was hard to accept. Jin had heard countless tales of Ron’s heroism and praise since his previous life, whereas Verakt was someone he had only learned about in this one. He had recently realized Verakt was a match for Rosa, but that was the extent of it. Verakt was certainly no famous figure in the human world. It even seemed like this was the first time he and Ron had ever met.
“Calm down, Dante.”
Dante was struggling, trying to move toward his grandfather, but his exhausted body could do little more than twitch feebly.
“But… Grandfather is…”
“This is the Sword Emperor Castle, and that man is Ron Hairan, the greatest knight in the world. Do you really think your grandfather can be defeated?”
Ron Hairan, defeated in the heart of the Sword Emperor Castle…
It was a sight no one in the world could easily imagine. Unless Runcandel or Zipple launched an all-out war, the consensus was that it was impossible. Even if the Emperor of the Viment Empire personally led a massive army, opinions were divided on whether they could breach the Sword Emperor Castle while Ron stood guard.
Still, the world was a vast place.
It wouldn’t be entirely unbelievable if Verakt turned out to be stronger than Ron.
But Jin had a gut feeling that something else was at play.
Calming his racing heart, he carefully surveyed the battlefield again.
The shapes of the collapsed outer walls and buildings were strange. For structures destroyed by sword energy, the cross-sections were far too jagged. It was a hideous sight, as if some giant had torn them apart with its bare hands. Most of the debris was also charred black.
Jin looked up at the sky.
The Gruneil…
Kinzelo’s aerial fortress, the Gruneil.
Thick black smoke was billowing from the cannons extending from its prow.
Is Sir Ron on the defensive because he’s busy blocking those cannons?
Just as the thought crossed his mind, he saw mana gathering in the cannons once more.
Crackle—!
An immense amount of lightning, shocking even by Jin’s standards, accumulated in the barrels. It was stunning that such power could be gathered with no warning.
‘Damn it!’
Just before the cannons fired, Jin hurriedly deployed a shield.
Rumble—!
The cannons unleashed an absurdly massive bolt of lightning.
The blinding flash made the world brighter than noon, and the resulting shockwave didn't just tear the clouds to shreds; it slammed into the ground below.
Then, an invisible but tangible wave of immense sword energy intercepted the blast. It was Ron Hairan’s sword energy, its purpose to dismantle the cannon fire before it could reach the ground.
Shattered by the sword energy, the bolt rained down upon the Sword Emperor Castle like meteors of ominous blue light. Hairan’s knights and warriors desperately fended off the fragments.
The aftershocks hammered savagely against the shield Jin had manifested.
Dante’s bloodshot eyes trembled as he gritted his teeth in helpless rage. He coughed up a mouthful of blood—his fury had worsened his Backflow Reaction.
“Agh…!”
“Dante, please, listen to me! I’ll get you out of here as soon as the explosions die down, so calm down. Your backflow is getting worse. I’m begging you. Think of Sir Ron—he wouldn’t want to see you hurt yourself even more.”
Jin was reminded of the moment he faced the Kozec at the Colon Ruins.
He knew one thing for certain: the Gruneil was incomparably stronger than the Kozec had been. Back then, Talaris had blocked most of the cannon fire alone, and Jin had nearly died just deflecting the fragments that fell toward the natives.
There were thousands of knights and warriors in the Sword Emperor Castle right now. But unlike at Colon, even with all of them deflecting the fragments, it wasn’t enough to prevent the castle’s destruction.
So this is why they were so confident invading the Sword Emperor Castle.
But the Sword Emperor was still the Sword Emperor.
Power like that should have leveled the entire Sword Emperor Castle in one or two shots. The only reason it still stood was Ron.
His invisible sword energy had split into countless fine threads, just like the shattered cannon fire, and was intercepting each fragment before it hit the ground.
In other words, Ron wasn't just fighting Verakt. He was fighting while single-handedly protecting his entire army.
It was a level of martial prowess that went beyond the simple word ‘strong.’
That was why, despite the dire situation, Jin couldn’t imagine the Sword Emperor Castle falling today.
Kinzelo… those bastards probably don’t plan on actually destroying Hairan. If they did, they wouldn’t have created a situation where Vishkel’s group was isolated in the castle to begin with.
Furthermore, if they were firing the cannons, it meant they had already secured Vishkel’s group and would likely retreat soon.
The shockwaves battering the shield began to subside.
“Shuri, take Dante to the healers. The infirmary seems to have collapsed, so find the most skilled-looking ones at the rear of the battlefield.”
[Myanya!]
Jin said as he secured Dante onto Shuri’s back. Dante didn’t even have the strength to hold on.
Just before Shuri moved, Jin gripped Dante’s shoulder firmly.
“Your fight is my fight. Today, I'll fight for both of us. I won't let those bastards get away easily, so just focus on getting better.”
Dante replied by simply blinking his red eyes.
As Shuri leaped off the outer wall and began to move, Jin’s gaze turned cold and sunken.
As soon as the aftershocks ended, Ron and Verakt’s swords clashed again.
“If you had just accepted my proposal and moved, we wouldn't have had to pile up this mountain of corpses, Ron Hairan!”
Ron didn't answer. He simply swung Rashid. It wasn't that he lacked the strength to reply; he just had nothing to say to a beast who knew nothing of honor.
The two were fighting on equal footing. Without the Gruneil, it seemed Ron would have had a slight advantage.
—You will stand to gain a great deal, Jin.
Suddenly, he remembered the way Margiella’s lips had moved when the incident began.
A hot rage surged through him as he looked at the half-destroyed Sword Emperor Castle. It was his friend’s home. It was also home to the people who would one day become his comrades-in-arms against Zipple.
Gain? I’ll make sure you suffer a loss so great you’ll never dare to do something like this again…
Ssssss…
Spirit energy began to gather around Bradamante. It was the energy required to unleash the final trump card he had saved while dealing with the masked assailant.
Spirit Sword Special Technique:
Calling the Black Light.
The sword, shrouded in spirit energy, sliced through the air.
Following the trajectory of the blade, the space began to turn pitch-black. The spirit energy formed a single black gate leading to the world of the ancient Pluto Tribe.
It was impossible to predict which of his brothers would answer the Calling of the Black Light.
However, even a common warrior would be a great help in turning the tide. Jin concentrated his mind and completed the special technique.
And as the spirit energy dispersed and a figure emerged from within the black gate…
Jin couldn't help but break into a triumphant smile.
The one who stepped through the gate was the 4th Fighting King, Linpa.
“It has… been a while, Brother Jin. I… won the draw.”
Though his speech was somewhat awkward, as it hadn’t been long since he’d finished his Vow of Silence Training, those few words carried a deep and powerful aura that made everyone on the battlefield look up at the outer wall in shock.
‘Who is that now?!’
‘Could it be… a new enemy…!’
‘No, he’s with Jin Runcandel. He seems to be an ally.’
‘Even so, where did he suddenly appear from?’
While the warriors exchanged shocked glances, Linpa drew the greatsword strapped to his back.
Whoosh—!
Though he had merely drawn his sword, a heavy wind whipped in all directions.
“I’m sorry for calling you here, Brother Linpa.”
“No… I like it. Are they… the enemies?”
Linpa pointed his greatsword toward the Gruneil and Verakt.
“What do you… desire… Brother Jin?”
“Their annihilation.”
At the firm answer, Linpa nodded.
“Understood…”
The Gruneil was reloading its cannons. Ron gathered his strength to block the fire, while Verakt couldn't take his eyes off Linpa.
Is that… the Pluto Tribe the Leader mentioned?
A strange sensation, one he'd never felt before, muddled Verakt's thoughts.
He hadn't even crossed blades with the man. He had never fought the Pluto Tribe, only heard that their power was great. He had no direct experience with them.
And yet, he felt a sense of crisis so profound it made him want to vomit. The hair on his body stood on end. He was certain that any other White Wolf warrior would have collapsed on the spot.
A crushing dread weighed down his entire body. This was Verakt, who hadn't felt a shred of fear even when facing Ron Hairan.
Ha, bullshit…! I am Verakt Sidriker, the strongest warrior of the White Wolf Tribe. No matter how strong that thing is, how strong could it possibly be?!
Roar!
Verakt let out a howl to steady his mind. What now filled his heart wasn't fear, but rage toward Linpa.
“I am… the great… Pluto Tribe’s Fourth Fighting King… Linpa.”
The cannons had finished aiming, and everyone on the battlefield was bracing for the hellish aftershocks.
However, even after witnessing the enormous lightning energy gathered in the cannons, Linpa continued to speak calmly.
“Since I have come here… at my brother’s call… my task is to be his… sword. Enemies…”
He paused.
“Leave your final words.”
Flash—!
As soon as Linpa finished speaking, the cannons spat out lightning, dyeing the ground a vivid blue.