Chapter 415: Why Hairan? (9)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 415: Why Hairan? (9)
Most of the people on the ground couldn't immediately identify the steel gate forming out of thin air in the sky.
However, they could instinctively sense that whatever emerged from it would not be an ally.
"What is that...?"
"A person?"
"It’s too blurry to see clearly."
While the warriors exchanged uneasy glances and whispers, Ron, Linpa, and Verakt also momentarily ceased their struggle to look up.
Then, the Leader emerged from the steel gate.
His characteristically pale body was enveloped in a shimmering radiance. To everyone's astonishment, he was hovering in the sky. Without wings or any visible device, he floated before the bow of the Gruneil, quietly looking down at the ground for a few seconds. He carried himself as if he were a god.
The atmosphere on the battlefield was so chaotic that people might have believed it even if a true god had descended. Following the giant monsters, mages, bio-golems, and flying ships, this mysterious, white, glowing figure had now appeared.
In an instant, most of the warriors felt a strange sense of dread and alienation toward the Kinzelo Leader. An ominous premonition that the tide of battle might turn once again clouded their minds.
Jin, however, was disgusted that the warriors were harboring such sentiments.
A divine being? A source of alien terror?
To Jin, such grandiose titles didn't suit the Leader of Kinzelo at all.
"The head of a vile criminal organization."
He was nothing more, nothing less. In fact, he was a man who deserved the epithet "idiot" more than anything else.
If you wanted to grant me a great boon, you shouldn't have approached me like this.
Whoosh!
A spark ignited in Jin’s palm.
It was a faint spark, but the tiny shadow it cast would soon become the spirit energy that shrouded the heavens.
Destruction Flame Orb of the Dark Heaven: Demon Emperor Final Form
The shadow of the spark soared into the sky.
Murakan’s veil of spirit energy, which had filled the sky, was torn and riddled with holes. But as the legacy of the Demon Emperor was unleashed, the gaps began to close rapidly. The sky itself was connecting with Jin as he released his power.
Much like the atrocities Kinzelo had committed at the Sword Emperor Castle, the sky suddenly turning pitch-black was an utterly alien sight to the warriors.
Yet, unlike the Leader’s appearance, the warriors could clearly perceive whose power this was and what it represented.
Spirit energy.
The power of Solderet’s contractor, the 12th Flagbearer of Runcandel.
Perhaps because of that, despite the dire situation, the warriors felt a secret surge of anticipation for whatever miracle Jin might show them next.
"Murakan."
[Yeah.]
"Fill in the spirit energy I’m lacking."
Jin had recovered somewhat, but he was not yet at his peak.
[Got it.]
With Murakan by his side, however, he had more than enough to unleash the legacy of Riol Zipple.
Flutter, vwooom!
As Murakan spread his wings wide, he released his spirit energy, and black particles spread across the area like a wave. The particles swirled around Jin and Murakan before shooting up toward the heavens.
It was like opening a door.
The particles of spirit energy, stretching long into the sky, were drawing a line—a line that split the heavens in half.
Soon, that line parted, and an impossibly massive void opened in the center of the sky. The glowing rune characters of Riol Zipple began to stand out across Jin’s entire body, drifting through the air like shimmering snowflakes.
—Ah! Dammit!
—What is the matter, Leader?
—I left it behind. Dammit, the situation was so urgent I didn't even think to pack it. Ha, to make such a mistake...!
—What could it be? Ah, don't tell me...!
—The final form of the Destruction Flame Orb of the Dark Heaven. The legacy of Riol Zipple that was kept at the headquarters of the Dark Magic Association... I didn't take it. Jo, did you happen to grab it? Please, tell me you did.
—Heh. Well, that... Leader, I was also in quite a state of confusion...
—You useless, moronic bastard! Jo, you’re the head of the Dark Magic Association, and you forgot that? Do I have to pay attention to every single detail myself?!
At that moment, the members of Kinzelo could not help but recall that conversation.
The transcendent great magic Jin was currently unfolding was something he had obtained after annihilating the Dark Magic Association. The legacy of Riol that the Leader and Jo had failed to secure was now a disaster about to engulf the Gruneil and the rest of the Kinzelo forces.
The drifting rune characters were markers. As they pointed toward the Gruneil and the members of Kinzelo, a blood-red sphere revealed itself from the parted sky.
For a moment, people thought it was the sun. Otherwise, there was no way to explain the massive flame orb casting a heavy, thick heat upon the earth.
"God, dammit! This is Riol Zipple’s...!"
"Jo! Deploy the shields!"
"The Gruneil hasn't been repaired yet—gack!"
"Aaaargh!"
Sizzle! Whoosh!
A downpour of fire began to fall from the flame orb. Instead of striking the ground, the rain of fire converged upon the ship and the Leader.
Thousands, tens of thousands of fiery tentacles ensnared the Gruneil. The ship was trapped like a beast in a snare, unable to move, and the Leader’s pale form was completely obscured by the flames.
Under the blackened, blood-red sky, the sound of the Gruneil being destroyed echoed alongside the roaring fire.
Crack, crunch! Every time a whip of fire struck, it shattered the hull, and the fragments scattered as ash before they could even reach the ground.
"Blast it...!"
Verakt bit his lip and swung his greatsword.
The Leader had been engulfed in flames the moment he appeared, the useless Jo still didn't know how to react, and the Vice Captain had only just been rescued while injured. He was the only one left who could target Jin.
I have to get rid of that damn magic. If this continues, the Leader’s life could be in danger!
He thrust his greatsword like a madman, spitting blood and foam, but his opponents were Ron and Linpa, who effortlessly blocked his attacks.
"You’re quite desperate," Ron remarked, seeing right through him. "It seems your master is in real danger."
Verakt replied with a roar, but it could no longer stain the battlefield with terror as it once had.
If Ron and Linpa hadn't already half-destroyed the Gruneil beforehand, they wouldn't have pushed the enemy into such a defensive position so quickly after the great magic was unleashed. The Gruneil, its once majestic form nowhere to be seen, looked as if it would be shot down at any moment.
Meanwhile, the flames extending from the Destruction Flame Orb of the Dark Heaven: Demon Emperor Final Form were visibly growing more intense.
The warriors on the ground naturally concluded that the tide had turned.
However, Jin, Murakan, and a few other exceptional warriors sensed a strange dissonance.
It’s only a matter of time before the Gruneil is completely destroyed, but the Leader... he isn't finished yet.
The Leader was a figure shrouded in mystery. Consequently, neither Jin and his allies nor any other faction had a precise grasp of his true power. But given that he led a massive organization like Kinzelo and wielded a power that could be called an Authority, they knew he wouldn't be defeated this easily.
Creeeak, crunch! Bam!
Finally, the ship Gruneil began to plummet.
It was split in half, its various parts destroyed beyond recognition. No one could imagine it returning to its original form. It seemed that the moment the massive hull slammed into the ground, Vishkel and his subordinates on board would meet their end.
Yet, even as the ship fell, a chilling sensation brushed against Jin's spine. It felt as if a cold piece of iron was sliding past him…
As that thought occurred, Jin whipped around.
Iron. Steel.
The chill he felt wasn't just a premonition. It was triggered by a real object. Pitch-black chunks of steel materialized from nowhere, brushing past Jin and Murakan as they soared into the sky.
The steel wasn't just around them; it was covering the entire battlefield. A cyclone of steel began to consume the area.
[It’s that guy’s power, kid,] Murakan said.
"...Yeah, it looks like it."
The Leader of Kinzelo possessed an Authority over iron, much like a god of blacksmiths. And Jin had sensed it when Picon Minche, the new God of Blacksmiths, wielded his Authority—the Leader’s was superior.
Rune characters marked the chunks of steel floating in the air. Chains of fire surged toward the marks to melt them, but they couldn't eliminate them all. An overwhelming amount of iron, enough to overpower Jin’s flames, was staining the sky.
Fortunately, there doesn't seem to be any particularly dangerous energy within the steel itself. Is it... not meant for killing?
The steel didn't strike down at enemies as Jin’s fire had.
Instead, it wrapped around the falling Gruneil. Before long, a massive hand made of iron had formed, supporting the shattered ship.
[As expected, the welcoming ceremony is quite grand. The legacy of Riol Zipple... I have quite a few memories of suffering because of that. It seems that Great Mage and I just don't get along.]
The flames cleared, revealing the Leader’s form once again.
Unlike before, when he was merely a pale, glowing shape, his body was now forming what could be described as a skeleton.
He used the Authority of Iron to create bones...?
—Now, seeing how you judged Murakan’s memories as you pleased, it seems like it’s time for a cheap psychological counseling session. This time, I’ll guess your psychology. You came here because you wanted to save those three, and you set some kind of trap. But right now, you’re feeling a bit anxious. Because it doesn't look like we’re going to fall for it.
—[Puhuhu...]
—What are you laughing at, you vermin? Am I wrong? Don't think you can get away with anything for free. Answer me.
—[You really got me there. It’s just as you said, Jin Runcandel. You hit almost everything right on the mark. It’s because I’m currently in a state where I can't properly face you all. As you can see, I’m in a body without even any bones.]
This was the conversation they had shared the day they first met.
The Leader, having now formed 'steel bones,' emitted an aura incomparably more intense than before. His face was too blurry to see clearly, but Jin was certain of one thing.
The Leader was smiling.
[It’s been a while, Jin Runcandel. Have you been well?]
"We aren't exactly on terms to be exchanging pleasantries..."
Jin stopped mid-sentence, his gaze shifting behind the Leader.
There, the ship Gruneil, which had been all but destroyed, was emerging from the giant steel hand in perfect condition. It had been restored to its original state without a single scratch.
"...are we?" Jin finished.
The Leader shook his head.
[It’s a pity you think so. I’ve missed you quite a bit. After all, I have to take back the stolen legacy of the Great Mage.]