Chapter 416: Why Hairan (10)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 416: Why Hairan (10)
‘This is absurd… How is this even possible?’
Looking at the perfectly restored ship, the Gruneil, Jin found himself utterly speechless.
It wasn’t just Jin; the other warriors were equally horrified by the sight of the ghastly vessel returning to its original state.
Even the Zipple clan invested a significant amount of time in maintaining their flagship, the Kozec. Depending on the extent of the damage, repairs often took at least several months, and sometimes years.
Yet, the time it took for the Kinzelo Leader to repair the Gruneil was barely ten seconds.
It was a reality difficult to accept, even seeing it with his own eyes. Could something like this even be called “repair”?
Jin and the warriors couldn't help but have that thought instinctively.
Crackle, zap!
The Gruneil was already forming new thunderclouds, casting an ominous darkness over the ground.
Standing before it, the Kinzelo Leader watched as shards of iron gathered in his palm to form a single sword.
It was the same blade that had finished off the Great Mage Susan Lilista and Chukon Tolderer back in Oterium.
"You say Riol’s legacy was stolen? I don't think that's the right way to put it. It wasn't yours to begin with."
[We were the ones keeping it, so it was ours.]
"By that logic, since I have it now, it’s mine."
"Heh heh. Come to think of it, I suppose you're right."
The Leader let out a chuckle.
Jin had encountered the Kinzelo group several times, but this was the first time he had seen the Leader in person since his days as a reserve flagbearer.
Suddenly, a moment from the records within Temar’s second tomb flashed through his mind.
— What kind of nonsense is this?
— Nonsense? As a lucky man whose blessings are so overflowing they threaten to crush his body, I am merely trying to show some goodwill to poor orphans.
— Cut the crap and get lost. Before I kill you too.
— Don't be so sharp. Just listen to my proposal once, my old friend. I have prepared a good future for everyone.
In the record, the Leader had appeared before Temar, the Ten Great Knights, and Murakan while they were fighting at the "Tower" in the Black Sea.
Jin had always wondered.
What exactly was the relationship between the Leader and Murakan? And what was the "good future for everyone" that the Leader had proposed in that second record?
‘One thing is certain: the Leader possessed immense power a thousand years ago, and he still does now.’
A thousand years ago, there weren't many beings who could stand in Murakan’s way. In the current era, the Leader was the only person capable of using teleportation and restoring a massive ship in an instant.
Furthermore, the Leader’s power didn't end there.
"In the end, you've forced our Leader to use his strength..."
The large and small wounds covering the body of Great Warrior Verakt were vanishing as if they had never existed.
Instead of pressing their attack, Ron and Linpa took a cautious stance, assessing the changing tide of the battle.
A heavy silence fell.
It was the result of the shocking sights that had followed the Leader’s appearance. Just when they thought they had finally cornered the terrorists, they were back at square one.
No, the situation was worse than square one. There was no telling what the limits of the Leader’s regeneration abilities were.
[Kinzelo Leader, I get a bad feeling every time I see that face. Hey, you. Who do you think you are, acting all omnipotent? You're just a lowly demon. I swear, you won't learn until you've been beaten to death.]
Whoosh, roar!
Murakan unleashed a Black Breath at the Leader. The pitch-black spirit energy surged forward as if to erase the Leader from existence, but he swung his sword and cleaved the dark energy in two with ease.
[Murakan.]
[There you go again, acting like you know me. You're out of your mind. Don't expect to leave here in one piece today.]
Jin didn't stop Murakan, who was radiating intense fighting spirit. Unlike the first time they had encountered the Leader, Murakan hadn't lost his composure.
"Well, if you want a fight that badly, I suppose it can't be helped."
As Murakan lunged at the Leader, the battle resumed.
The Gruneil spread its thunderclouds, and Verakt, his body fully restored, began to rampage once more.
However, even with his injuries wiped away, the battle was bound to proceed similarly.
After all, even with Verakt’s martial prowess, it was impossible for him to face both Ron and Linpa at the same time.
"I will... take the White Wolf."
Linpa’s words meant that Ron should leave Verakt to him and go deal with the Leader and the Gruneil. Ron nodded.
"I leave it to you."
Naturally, Verakt glared and swung his sword as Ron moved away, but he was suppressed by Linpa’s assault and couldn't stop him.
"Mutt... I am your natural enemy. Know your place."
The Gruneil was also unable to rain down lightning as indiscriminately as it had at first.
Jin’s Destruction Flame Orb of the Dark Heaven: Demon Emperor Final Form was not over yet.
Jin was still maintaining the great magic from atop the outer wall, and the flame chains were still constricting the Gruneil.
‘The Kinzelo Leader... he’s handling Murakan with considerable ease.’
Murakan had already expended a great deal of strength protecting the ground. But even taking that into account, the Leader was clearly a powerhouse who surpassed him.
His swordsmanship, in particular, was remarkable. The Leader’s sword possessed a depth in no way inferior to any blade Jin had ever seen.
Murakan engaged the Leader in close-quarters aerial combat, shifting incessantly between his human and true forms.
The Leader moved through the air as if he were standing on solid ground; he was clearly accustomed to aerial combat.
"I felt it back then too, but I wonder if you're truly the Murakan I knew. Why have you become so weak, my friend? Thinking of your majestic days almost brings tears to my eyes."
[Is that so? You think I'm weak. I'll admit it. Even though I've regained some of my strength, I'm still no match for my old self. That's why I've learned something new.]
Surprisingly, Murakan didn't snap; he seemed to accept the comment.
"This is getting more surprising by the second. The great Murakan, learning something? And what might that be?"
[Humans have a phrase for what I've learned. They call it 'ganging up.']
Swish!
A gust of wind brushed past the Leader’s back. It was a wind carrying Ron’s invisible sword energy. As the invisible energy scraped against the Leader’s steel bones, a bone-chilling screech of friction rang out.
"Steel, is it? What an unpleasant sensation."
Ron leaped into the air, his sword slashing horizontally across the Leader’s torso.
The steel bones were severed with pathetic ease by the invisible sword energy, but they reattached just as simply.
The hazy parts of the Leader's body, where flesh and muscle should have been, merely wavered like smoke and remained uncut.
In a sense, Ron’s sword felt as if it were passing through water, but that didn't mean the Leader was taking no damage.
"In the end, this too is nothing more than regeneration. It cannot be infinite. I will cut you until you can no longer regenerate..."
Jin and Murakan shared Ron’s assessment.
Their conclusion wasn't based on the inscrutable Leader himself, but on the change in Verakt’s behavior.
‘Ever since the Leader appeared and began using his authority, Verakt has been showing signs of extreme urgency. It’s highly likely that the Leader’s power requires a price beyond imagination.’
A price significant enough to make someone of Verakt’s caliber lose his composure.
‘The Leader’s own life force, or something vital to Kinzelo.’
When Murakan swung his forepaw to create an opening, Ron once again slashed through the Leader’s spine. The Leader's steel sword grazed Murakan’s forehead, but it wasn't a fatal blow.
On the ground, Linpa pressured Verakt, while the rest of the warriors evacuated the wounded.
Among them, only the knights of Hairan reorganized their ranks, forming a formation and pouring sword energy into the Gruneil, which was still bound by the great magic.
The tide of battle was visibly stabilizing.
However, the problem was that Jin was holding down the Gruneil alone.
If Jin let go of the ship, the attacks on the ground would resume. While the prominent warriors might be fine, the civilians and lower-ranking warriors who hadn't yet left the battlefield would surely meet their deaths.
"Ugh...!"
A trickle of blood escaped Jin's lips. A mana backflow was beginning.
‘I’m still okay. Not yet.’
If he were under attack, he wouldn't be able to maintain the great magic while suppressing the backflow, but for now, he could focus entirely on the spell.
‘I wonder which will run out first: the Leader’s power, or my own against this backflow. Probably the former.’
It was about time they arrived.
Jin spat out a mouthful of blood and looked toward the distant horizon. This fight would turn into a victory for Hairan the moment they arrived.
‘The Dragon Knights.’
Runcandel had its Black Knights, Zipple had the White Night and the Wraith Squad, and Viment had its Imperial Guard and Special Task Force.
And Hairan, as befitted one of the world’s three great families, possessed its own elite knights. The strongest knights of Hairan, known as the Dragon Knights.
Jin only needed to hold out until they arrived.
In truth, even if Jin were to leave the battlefield right now, no one could point a finger at him. As an outsider, he had already achieved the highest level of merit in a fight he didn't even have to be a part of.
Skreeeeeee!
A sharp, wailing sound echoed from beyond the pitch-black dawn sky. A smile touched Jin’s lips the moment he heard it.
The same was true for Ron and the other warriors.
A group of Ancestor Dragons approached the Sword Emperor Castle as fast as meteors.
There were thirty of them.
‘It’s my first time seeing them in person.’
The Dragon Knights spread their formation wide, surrounding the battlefield.
With only thirty of them, the concept of "surrounding" might have seemed impossible, but each of them was one of Hairan’s finest blades.
The entire battlefield was instantly drenched in the murderous intent of the Dragon Knights.
"Dragon Knight Leader!"
At Ron’s shout, the man riding the largest Ancestor Dragon raised his sword.
"Loyalty! Command us!"
"Half of you secure the ground, and the other half follow me. We shall annihilate the enemy."
Without needing further direction, the Dragon Knights split up with perfect discipline. Half descended, while the other half ascended, gathering around Ron and Murakan.
At that moment, Jin released the mana holding the Gruneil.
The flame chains that had been wildly thrashing in the sky gathered into the flame orb all at once, and Jin pointed his finger at the Gruneil.
Once again, the black sky opened its maw and spat out a massive flame orb. It was the final form of the Destruction Flame Orb of the Dark Heaven: Demon Emperor Final Form.
The Gruneil quickly increased its power to escape the flame orb, but the Dragon Knights blocked its path.
When the flame orb finally struck the hull, the Gruneil suffered the humiliation of being half-destroyed once again.
The Leader was already buried under the sword energy of Ron, Murakan, and the Dragon Knights, his figure completely lost from sight.