Chapter 559: Gliek, King of the Black Sea (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 559: Gliek, King of the Black Sea (3)
Ron’s back heaved with ragged breaths. His trembling legs, his gaunt frame, and the darkened grey patterns spreading across the Overlord Sword all signaled the dire state he was in.
“Lord Ron!”
Without looking back, Ron swung Rashid once more, unleashing a storm of blades. The grey gale slowed the descent of Gliek’s swords and spears.
Ron was not the only one standing in Gliek’s path to protect Jin.
Luyan, Aquita Hairan, Erol Lyman, Bel Altemiro, and Franz.
The Five Sword Saints of Hairan stood beside Ron, their blades leveled at Gliek.
When the gale of Chaos had first surged, they too had burned every last ounce of their energy to help Ron reach Jin.
The Sword Saints standing beside Ron did not move. After carving a path for their lord, they had met their end, dying on their feet.
This was the true end of the Sword Saints.
‘The Sword Saints…!’
Ssshh, whirr…
Broken and shattered—it was impossible to imagine how they had continued fighting in such a state.
The bodies of the Sword Saints were turning to ash and scattering in the wind.
Jin felt as if a blade were carving out his heart. He had thought the long battle was their farewell, but the Sword Saints had insisted on giving their all for Hairan, and for those they held dear, down to the very last moment.
As the Sword Saints drifted away, Ron was left alone to hold the front line.
Everyone watched Ron from behind.
Because of that, no one could see his face.
No one saw the tears, sweat, and blood mingling in the deep wrinkles around his eyes, nor the hollow, agape mouth from which choked sobs escaped as he fought to suppress his grief.
The Sword Emperor Castle had been razed without a trace. His irreplaceable grandson, more precious than life itself—the grandson who was his very reason for living—had been devoured by that monster.
In the end.
Almost everything Ron Hairan had spent his life protecting and loving had vanished to a place far beyond the reach of the living, where they could never be seen or touched again.
And as is always the case, despair grants no time for human sorrow.
Gliek swung hundreds of arms in every direction, utterly heedless of Ron’s grief. Most of the attacks were aimed at Jin.
Kaaaa, aaah…!
Ron’s hoarse, vengeful roar resembled the voice of Dante—a voice that had grown rough from the sorrow and despair of being born weak.
Revenge was a distant hope.
He was exhausted, and this new enemy was far too colossal. He couldn’t just ignore Gliek to expend the final sparks of his life against Zipple and the traitors.
Yet, there was only one reason he did not give up and stood to fight once more.
If it all ended here, he wouldn’t be able to face his grandson even in death. There were still things left to protect, and his grandson’s dearest friend was fighting for him.
As an elder, he had to send the boy back alive. Even if he couldn't repay the debt, he could not let him die in this desolate land.
The grey radiance of Rashid intensified.
Alone, Ron parried more than seventy percent of the blades Gliek rained down upon Jin. The rest were blocked by Stam, the Black Knights, and Jin himself.
‘To think he still has such power left, even now…!’
Kelliark Zipple could not help but be shocked once again as he watched Ron raging like a wild beast from afar.
A man who should have been finished but wasn’t; who should have died but didn’t; who should have stopped but wouldn’t.
While it was certainly beneficial for Kelliark that Ron was clashing with Gliek, the members of Zipple were losing their nerve before the sheer will of the Hairan patriarch. Both Kelliark and Octavia had been feeling an inexplicable sense of unease from Ron and the Sword Saints.
Kelliark himself had struggled to reach the surface even after using the Demon God Stone. In terms of the pure magnitude of his power, he was still far superior, but it felt meaningless. Though Ron had been slightly closer to Gliek, Kelliark knew that even if he had been in that position, he wouldn't have reached the surface any faster.
Furthermore, had he been in Ron’s shoes, Kelliark would have continued the fight against Zipple instead of leaping toward Gliek to save Jin—even if that was the shortcut to a catastrophe where everyone perished together.
Unlike Zipple, who sought to complete the Demon God Stone, all that existed between Hairan and Jin was faith and loyalty.
Even if Kelliark had chosen to save Jin, it would not have been for the sake of faith, but to use him as a bargaining chip against his rivals later.
‘In any case, thanks to that stiff-necked nature of yours, I can breathe a sigh of relief for now. Please hold on, until we and Runcandel can properly join the fray.’
Kelliark glared at the ground as he formed the Destruction Flame Orb of the Dark Heaven, Demon Emperor Form 2. His pure flames, untainted by the power of the Demon God Stone, were clearing away the Chaos.
Rosa, the Runcandels, and even Octavia and the Wraith Squad were fighting to open a path toward Jin. Even though Rosa saw the defenseless backs of Octavia and the Wraith Squad in the distance, she did not order an attack.
Now was the time to join forces.
‘Even with Lord Ron holding them back, it’s only a matter of time before my comrades are killed at this rate,’ Jin thought.
Since the attacks had been concentrated on him from the start, Jin knew he had to move for the safety of his companions.
However, changing his position was a gamble. There was no guarantee that Gliek would ignore his current location just because he moved.
‘It’s better than just standing here and taking it.’
Instead, he decided to test something before moving. He intentionally amplified the spirit energy of Bradamante to observe Gliek’s reaction.
[Sol… deret…!]
As soon as Jin’s spirit energy surged, Gliek began to attack even more ferociously.
“Murakan!”
“Yeah!”
“I’ll draw its attention! You protect Tess and the others until Lady Talaris finishes recovering!”
“Dammit, fine!”
As Jin began to sprint at full power, Ron and the Black Knights followed close behind.
Fortunately, Gliek shifted his gaze immediately. All the swords and spears of Chaos swerved toward where Jin was heading.
“Well done, Jin. I was momentarily lost in sentiment and failed to consider your comrades,” Ron said, his voice raspy.
At Ron’s words, Jin felt something hot welling up in his throat.
“Lord Ron, please don't say that. More importantly, your body…”
“I won't die until I’ve seen you safely out of here. I will endure so stubbornly that even that monster grows sick of me.”
Rumble—! Clang!
The swords of the seven knights clashed incessantly with Gliek’s weapons. Just as in the beginning, Ron’s sword-gale supported everyone, and for a moment, it seemed they could hold out until reinforcements arrived.
But that feeling was short-lived.
[Are you… mocking… me, Solderet!]
Because he had awakened in an incomplete state, Gliek seemed to perceive Jin not as a contractor, but as Solderet himself.
“Urgh!”
Ron, who had just parried five blades simultaneously, doubled over and spat out a clump of black blood.
Jin, Stam, and the Black Knights rushed to cover his opening, but their balance was disrupted.
Gliek’s means of attack were not limited to hundreds of swords and spears. The moment Ron lost his footing, a massive gravitational pull suddenly erupted from Gliek.
Naturally, the one Gliek intended to pull in with the power of Chaos was Jin.
Stam unleashed his energy to create a counter-force, but he couldn't stop Jin from being dragged into the air.
Jin rose into the sky, following Gliek’s gaze. Seeing this, Tess let out a sharp breath, but her power was already at work.
If the Authority of Pressure within her Azure Fire hadn't suppressed Gliek’s attraction, Jin would have been dragged right before the monster’s face. Fortunately, he stopped midway and met Gliek’s eyes.
Those eyes, trembling unstably, were like bottomless voids. While feeling as though he might be sucked in just by looking, Jin focused his mind and gripped his sword.
Dante.
His hatred for the monster that had swallowed his friend was deeper and darker than any fear, eclipsing even the dread of a martial power that could overwhelm the world's strongest single-handedly.
[Now, I see.]
Grin.
Gliek’s mouth tore open like a crescent moon.
[Solderet, you, too, seem to have… lost your power.]
“You dog of a monster, what did you do to Dante?”
[He was… a remarkable… human. No wonder… Solderet, was he your contractor?]
“What…?”
[If I hadn't… mimicked your voice… it would have been… more troublesome…]
It felt as if he’d been struck in the back of the head. A sharp ringing echoed in his ears.
He didn't need a detailed explanation to know instinctively. Dante had been fighting Gliek within the seal of Chaos and had been deceived when he heard Jin's voice at a critical moment.
“…Then what happened to Dante? Is he still inside that seal?” Jin asked, his voice barely calm.
[You keep… asking useless… questions… Solderet. Strange, you… should know… best.]
“I don't know.”
[Extinguished.]
Jin’s eyes widened.
[He has been extinguished.]
“Bullshit.”
[Now… it is your… turn.]
“Tess!”
The moment Gliek was about to move, Jin shouted Tess’s name and sent his will, telling the phoenix to withdraw the Pressure.
‘I have to create an opening for Lord Ron to attack.’
Making Ron leap in to save him would only put them at a disadvantage again.
‘Even if I go deeper, Tess can pull me out once. We’ve done nothing but defend; I have to land at least one attack.’
Like a taut string snapping, the Pressure was withdrawn, and Jin’s body flew toward Gliek once more. Hundreds of massive blades formed a black forest.
It felt as if his limbs would be severed by a mere graze. Jin twisted his body through the storm of steel until he reached Gliek’s eye and thrust his sword straight into it.
Stab…!
However, Gliek didn't seem particularly damaged despite being stabbed directly in the eye.
“Agh!”
Rather, it was Jin who took the hit. The moment he stabbed the eye, one of Gliek’s swords slashed across his chest.
His Spirit Energy Armor didn't shatter, but his entire body vibrated as if every bone were about to break.
Gliek tried to slash the falling Jin once more, but as Jin had hoped, Ron had already burrowed into the monster's embrace and was swinging his sword.
And as he hit the ground and spat out blood, Jin…
He couldn't help but think back to the moment Gliek’s sword had struck him.
‘From what I felt before the sword touched me, it definitely had enough power to shatter my Spirit Energy Armor.’
Just before it cut him.
As if someone had pulled it back, the tip of Gliek’s blade had momentarily stopped.
‘Could it be?’
Thump, thump, thump!
His heart hammered wildly. He couldn't help but think that the one who had made Gliek hesitate at that moment might have been Dante.