Chapter 536: Omen (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 536: Omen (5)
The sphere of Heaven Reversal was swallowing the sky.
Simultaneously, the heavens, the plains, and the entire battlefield began to vibrate, threatening to shatter at any moment under the sheer weight of its power.
Broken rocks, stone fragments, and corpses rose haphazardly into the air, drawn in by its pull, while the void near the sphere distorted grotesquely.
Gaaaaaaah—!
Jin let out a monstrous roar as he struggled to control the mana pouring frantically from the mirror.
It was a volume of mana far beyond what was permitted for a human. From the very start, Jin was wielding several times more mana than even Enya had managed to draw.
The roar was an involuntary outburst, born from the sensation of his very consciousness being torn away—a desperate cry closer to a scream of agony.
Yet, to those who heard it, the sound was nothing short of chilling and horrific. It felt as though a transcendent being was threatening them, announcing divine punishment.
Everyone on the battlefield, enemy and ally alike, stared at the blurred figure of Jin standing within the distorted space.
‘Is this… truly magic cast by a single human?’
Even as they witnessed it with their own eyes, they could not process the shock that the one manifesting Heaven Reversal was the 12th Flagbearer of Runcandel.
Beneath their hoods, even the vacant eyes of the Wraith Squad convulsed in the light radiating from the sphere.
Most on the battlefield were unaware of the mirror’s existence. They only knew that the magic Jin was unleashing far exceeded the limits of humanity. Furthermore, they were certain that even with the aid of an artifact, this was not a feat just anyone could achieve.
A Great Mage.
No, a Great Magic Swordsman.
The Heaven Reversal Jin had unleashed was a signal fire, announcing the revival of Runcandel’s lost legacy of magic swordsmanship.
[Infinite mana… It’s the artifact from Colon.]
[Retreat! All ships, fall back and hasten the reloading of the main cannons…!]
The mass-produced ships of the Red Fleet began to pull away, desperate to escape the influence of Heaven Reversal. However, a massive, invisible force already held the entire fleet in its grasp.
Every time they attempted to force an escape, parts of the ships buckled and crumpled, their protective shields torn to shreds. Debris from the shattered vessels plummeted to the earth, crushing the enemy’s ground forces.
Occasionally, fragments caught in the vortex fell toward the allied lines, but the Dragon Knights and Sword Saints struck them all down. Murakan and Quicantel also spread their Veil of Spirit Energy and Authority of Time to protect their comrades. Without them, the allies would have suffered significant casualties, but Jin had chosen to use Heaven Reversal through the mirror precisely because he trusted them.
Already, over forty percent of the blades and chains of the Red Abyss were being absorbed into the sphere.
If the mages of the Red Fleet’s Wraith Squad had possessed the exact same power as the Wraith Squad Jin remembered, they might have been able to block even a Heaven Reversal fueled by the mirror. Sixty superhuman-level mages could have accomplished anything.
But just as a mass-produced ship could not compare to the Kozec, the same applied to the resurrected Wraith Squad. They were nothing more than imperfectly revived corpses. Though they possessed immense power, they lacked the transcendence and sheer presence unique to a true superhuman.
[Kaaaaah!]
[Full retreat is impossible! Abandon the ships that are already too deep in the vortex!]
The streaks of red mana being sucked into Heaven Reversal looked like veins. Those veins were constantly snapping and bursting, plunging the Wraith Squad into the abyss of a mana backflow.
Mages began vomiting blood one after another. Some lost consciousness and fell from the broken ships, only to be caught in the vortex of Heaven Reversal and vanish. Not a single drop of blood, let alone a corpse, remained.
It would have been ideal to finish them off before the ship cannons could reload, but everyone except Jin was preoccupied with protecting the allies. The battlefield had become a hell where ordinary people struggled even to stand still.
Murakan attempted to attack the enemy by summoning Spirit Energy spears outside the protective veil, but the pull of Heaven Reversal threw off even his aim. He couldn't manage both at once; he would have to focus entirely on attacking to land a single hit.
Because of this, Murakan was worried about Jin.
‘This is on a different level from what that fanatic used, kid…! You can’t maintain this much mana and stay sane!’
If Jin wasn't careful, it wouldn't just end in a backflow; it could lead to death.
‘The visibility is so poor I can’t even check on him. He hasn't already lost his mind, has he?’
In truth, Murakan would have saved Jin even if it meant everyone else here died. Jin would never want that, of course, but a guardian dragon’s duty was his absolute priority.
Moreover, if Jin fell into a backflow while Heaven Reversal had progressed this far… not only Jin’s life but everyone’s lives would be in danger.
‘The infinite mana that has already left the mirror won't stop until the magic formula is complete. The kid is controlling it now, but if that control vanishes…’
There was no telling what would happen. There was no precedent. But there was no way this immense mana, already unleashed upon the battlefield, would simply disappear the moment Jin lost consciousness.
Heaven Reversal would grow larger and larger without control, eventually swallowing even the allies. By the time it was over, not just Jin, but perhaps no one on the battlefield would be left alive.
As that thought took hold, Murakan felt his scales stand on end, his skin crawling with tension.
Should he approach Jin to check his status, even if it meant momentarily abandoning the protection of the allies? If he did, allies would die by the second. He couldn't allow the victory they had fought so hard to reclaim to be stained by the deaths of his comrades.
Quicantel sensed Murakan’s inner turmoil.
[Murakan, it’s already too late to check. We must focus on our task.]
They had to trust him. As Quicantel said, if Jin had already passed his limit, even Murakan wouldn't be able to save him.
While he hesitated, the power of Heaven Reversal continued to swell. Over thirty percent of the Red Fleet had been completely destroyed, and the Wraith Squad seemed utterly unable to counterattack.
[Damn it! I know, I know!]
If he were in his prime, he wouldn't have to worry like this. What tormented Murakan was his own perceived incompetence. As a fellow guardian dragon, Quicantel understood this better than anyone.
[Our contractors have always been stronger than us. And Jin has always been special, even among them. So wait. He’ll be fine, just like always.]
Murakan let out a roar and expanded his veil even wider. Whenever he found an opening, he checked the spot where Jin stood, waiting for the mana-shrouded vision to clear.
As if his wish had been heard, the mana obscuring Jin soon dissipated.
[Kid!]
Despite Murakan’s worries, the briefly revealed Jin had regained his composure, unlike when he was screaming at the start.
He was calmly tuning the magic circles of Heaven Reversal that stretched out in all directions. Surrounding Jin, along with the mana, was a familiar black energy.
Spirit Energy—the power of Solderet.
Enveloped in it, Jin looked as though he were receiving Solderet’s divine protection. And that Spirit Energy was not something Jin was wielding himself; it originated from the seal—Solderet’s masterpiece—engraved upon the mirror.
—That seal is a masterpiece created by Solderet, who poured all of his authority into it when his power was at its peak. It is not merely dense Spirit Energy; it is, in a sense, a part of Solderet himself.
Those were the words spoken by Klam, the God of Magic, when Jin had saved Colon.
A part of Solderet.
The infinite will remaining within it was showing Jin the way. It guided him on how to use this infinite mana—which could easily destroy the world—and instead turn it into a power that saves it.
For the first time in a long while, Jin felt as though he were communicating with Him. He heard no voice, but he felt a will clearer than any words leading and protecting him.
‘As a contractor, this is what it feels like to have a god with me…’
The ocean of infinite mana moved according to his will. For a moment, he even forgot the horrors of war, death, and madness. Jin was momentarily lost in a trance, performing the magic like a symphony alongside the wills of the two gods who had strived to save the world.
All the mana of Heaven Reversal that had been threatening the allies was now turning toward the enemy. This was the result of Jin beginning to perfectly control the mirror’s mana.
The chaos within the allied ranks quickly subsided, while the enemies could only scream in rage. However, their cries were drowned out by the cheers of the allies and the thunderous roar of Heaven Reversal, reaching no one.
Amazingly, not a single ally had died from Jin’s Heaven Reversal. The Barmul Alliance and Hairan had both fought tooth and nail to protect one another.
Though he had reached the level of a superhuman, Jin was still only twenty years old. They felt that if they burdened him with the deaths of his own allies, they wouldn't be able to look him in the eye after the battle was over.
[See? I told you he’d be fine. Now get a grip and strengthen the shield. Heaven Reversal is subsiding, but it looks like your contractor has no intention of ending it here.]
Mana and Spirit Energy.
From within them, a crimson flame was rising.
[Fleet main cannons, reloading complete!]
[Reloading complete!]
At that moment, the remaining ships finished loading their main cannons. The Wraith Squad had not yet noticed the flames beginning to spread from Jin. They believed that if they could just manage to fire, they could deal a blow to Jin.
Even if they couldn't finish him, they were certain they could stop that cursed legacy of Kidad Hall and kill at least a thousand enemies.
Seventeen main cannons opened their muzzles. It was a feat of reloading they had achieved through sheer tenacity, even while retreating. Furthermore, although they were inferior to the originals, the Wraith Squad wore gray robes. They were prepared to unleash not just the main cannons, but one final chain magic.
[We’re taking the enemies of Zipple to hell with us!]
[The artifact of Colon, the White Stone… everything will be placed within the glory of Zipple…!]
The commanders of the Wraith Squad could not finish their final words.
For a moment, they felt as if they had suddenly fallen into a pitch-black darkness. A darkness so deep that they couldn't even see the person standing right next to them had enveloped them before they knew it.
‘Could it be!’
‘This is…!’
That darkness was Spirit Energy. It was a darkness even deeper than when Murakan had dyed the sky with his Veil of Spirit Energy.
Destruction Flame Orb of the Dark Heaven: Demon Emperor’s Final Form.
The moment Jin finished his incantation, the ship cannons fired.
However, no one on the battlefield even perceived the fleeting moment the Red Fleet’s main cannons spat fire. This was because the shells were scattered into nothingness by the sun-like mana of the Destruction Flame Orb of the Dark Heaven the instant they were launched.
The legacy of Riol Zipple.
The ultimate magic among ultimate magics, which could only be perfectly manifested with the power of Solderet, was now swallowing Zipple whole.