Chapter 560: King of the Black Sea, Gliek (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 560: King of the Black Sea, Gliek (4)
Gliek.
The King of the Black Sea, who had slumbered within the white stone, had clearly awakened using Dante as his vessel.
Just as the monster claimed, Dante’s body was likely gone, but perhaps a fragment of his consciousness still remained.
Of course, it could have been a delusion. Jin’s desperate wish for his friend to be alive might be clouding his reason.
Even so, Jin couldn't understand why Gliek had hesitated for a split second as the massive sword of chaos swung down.
Is it because he just woke up and isn't in perfect condition?
Jin could tell that Gliek was not whole. Though this was his first time seeing the creature, its distorted body was riddled with missing parts.
Above all, Gliek was mistaking Jin for Solderet.
He spoke as if he knew Solderet well and hated him with a passion, yet the fact that he’s confused means his mind is compromised.
That realization sent a chill down Jin’s spine. Even in this incomplete state, Gliek was overwhelming everyone on the battlefield.
Rumble—!
An ash-colored Rashid struck Gliek’s upper body. It was a strike delivered with Ron’s entire soul. For the first time since Gliek’s awakening, he managed to shatter several of the monster’s swords and spears.
The broken weapons rained down like a landslide, battering the earth. Ron leaped through the storm of debris, riding the wind of his own blade to thrust Rashid toward the monster’s face.
Hundreds of arms blocked his path once more. This time, instead of a pulling force, a repulsive force erupted to push him away.
Nevertheless, Ron succeeded in carving a long, deep gash across the monster’s face.
It was not without a price. Spikes suddenly erupted from Gliek’s face, piercing Ron’s entire body.
Jin and the Black Knights leaped simultaneously to protect Ron, who was momentarily left defenseless.
Fourteen spikes pierced him. Dark red blood gushed from his body, but fortunately, none of the wounds were fatal.
The problem, however, was that Ron had been injured by spikes Gliek fired reflexively.
To Jin and the Black Knights, those spikes moved at a speed that a knight of Ron’s caliber should have easily dodged or parried.
He was reaching his physical limit.
He hadn't been in normal condition since the battle began, so it wouldn't have been strange for him to collapse at any moment.
“Lord Ron, are you alright?!”
For a moment, Jin saw Ron’s eyes grow hazy. The scent of ash—a scent unique to those nearing death—wafted from him.
“I am... fine.”
Jin and the Black Knights scanned their surroundings.
Talaris was still holding her position, and the support from Runcandel and Zipple was limited to long-range attacks from afar.
Though Gliek’s mind was unstable, causing him to focus most of his attacks on Jin’s group, he wasn't completely ignoring his rear. He continued to detonate blasts of chaos along the perimeter to prevent Runcandel and Zipple from approaching.
In fact, more than ninety percent of his chaotic energy was being spent just to block the reinforcements.
Consequently, Jin’s group was enduring what was mostly a purely physical onslaught.
Ron stood up, using his sword as a crutch. In the process, he suddenly realized the ground was turning an eerie shade of black. Jin and the Black Knights saw it too.
“The ground... this is...”
It wasn't just scorched black by the heat of battle or the constant bombardment.
It’s similar to... the Black Sea.
The land known as the Black Sea.
Stam, who had participated in Cyron’s expeditions for many years after becoming a Black Knight, had witnessed this phenomenon before: the “Black Sea-ification” of the land.
Jin had heard a similar account from Picon Minche when he was told the story of Ozdok.
—As the Black Sea rapidly expanded, Ozdok was swallowed by the toxic land. You could say he was buried alive while trying to hibernate.
The land where Sword Emperor Castle stood was turning into the Black Sea, saturated with Gliek’s energy. It was becoming a land where no human could survive.
Cr-cr-crack!
Ron squeezed his fist, grabbing a handful of earth. Instead of black soil, hard crystals of chaos, solid as rock, filled his palm.
“My land... just how much more do you intend to trample upon...?”
The crystals of chaos disintegrated into particles within Ron’s grip and scattered into the air. Jin could find no words to offer him.
Perhaps every tragedy that had befallen Sword Emperor Castle stemmed from his own regression. A terrible guilt clung to his heart like rancid oil.
Zipple had been manufacturing Demon God Stones even before his regression. The Imperial Family had always been looking for a chance to push the Hairan Clan out. The white stone had always been there.
The Sword Emperor Holy War was an event destined to happen regardless of his regression. In fact, with Jin here now, they might even be moving toward a slightly better outcome.
But no one could tell Jin that this wasn't his fault. Jin couldn't believe that himself, and the sorrow of the giant before him was an agony too bitter to measure.
He simply had to fight with everything he had. As always, that was the best Jin could do.
The pressure weighing down on Gliek thinned.
Talaris’s energy had run out. Gliek paused for a moment, seemingly shocked by the wound on his face, but soon resumed swinging hundreds of swords and spears.
And then, Ron staggered.
His footwork was incredibly unstable on his trembling legs. It had reached the point where Jin and the Black Knights were almost entirely focused on protecting him.
As the Black Sea-ification progressed, Gliek’s energy painted the ground black with terrifying speed.
Jin was also growing exhausted. Stam and the Black Knights were in better shape, as their battle hadn't been as long, but their stamina was draining rapidly as they bore the brunt of the chaos to fill the void left by Ron.
What was more agonizing was that as the Black Sea-ification progressed, Gliek’s distorted form grew increasingly stable.
His attacks grew fiercer by the minute, and his energy became more vast, forcing the Runcandel and Zipple reinforcements to slow their advance.
Crunch, thud!
Eventually, a single black sword that Jin and the Black Knights missed struck Ron. Though he managed to parry it at the last second, his body was tossed helplessly into the air before crashing into the ground.
He had already surpassed his limits several times. From the moment he woke from his long coma until now, Ron had been performing miracles.
But he had finally reached the end...
“Lord Ron!”
“12th Flagbearer!”
Jin and Stam shouted simultaneously. Jin reflexively threw himself forward to save Ron, a decision Stam deemed a mistake.
Stam was right. If Jin lost his balance trying to protect Ron, it would only give Gliek an opening.
Jin expected Gliek to target him for overextending. He figured that if that happened, Stam and the Black Knights could cover for him, allowing him to save Ron even if he was injured in the process.
However, as the land turned into the Black Sea, Gliek was also regaining his reason. He judged it better to kill Ron first while the opportunity was there.
Furthermore, Gliek’s spear was faster than Jin. A massive black spear fell toward Ron like a bolt of lightning.
Damn it, damn it, damn it!
Jin pushed his energy to the absolute limit and unleashed a Light Speed Thrust. Blood sprayed from his mouth and nose, but his secret technique… missed the spear by a hair's breadth. In that split second, Jin cursed himself with a mad fury for failing to intercept the gargantuan weapon.
Ron had no strength left to deflect it. The moment the spearhead was about to crush him was etched into Jin’s vision like a slow-motion nightmare.
And in the next moment, Jin saw it again.
Gliek hesitated. The spear stopped just before it impaled Ron.
[This…]
It was a tiny window of barely a second, but it was enough time for Jin to throw himself forward and push Ron out of the way.
“Aaaargh!”
Jin took the spear in Ron’s stead, letting out a guttural scream. The backlash felt as if his bones and organs were exploding, but the relief of saving Ron made the pain feel like a blessing.
Stam and the Black Knights followed up, parrying the subsequent attacks. By now, they also sensed that something was wrong with Gliek, though they didn't think of Dante.
Ron, on the other hand, saw it clearly even as his consciousness faded and his vision darkened.
Dante... Dante, my grandson... Why are you there? Why...
His eyes were glazed.
Earlier, when Jin had asked if he was alright, Ron’s slurred response hadn't been just because of exhaustion.
The moment those fourteen spikes from Gliek’s face had pierced him, he, like Jin, had suspected that Dante’s consciousness might still remain somewhere inside the monster.
Now, he was certain.
“I can feel it, Jin. Inside there... my grandson... Dante is there.”
[Persistent, aren't you.]
Ron’s vision went dark.
He had lost his sight.
“My boy... yes, it’s your grandfather.”
The flame of his life had grown dim. All that remained was the blind, loving will of a grandfather for his grandson.
That was what kept him speaking in a hoarse voice, even though he had lost almost all sensation in his body.
“Lord Ron, Dante is inside. You must hold onto your consciousness!”
“Dante... I will save you...”
Crunch, clang—!
While Ron muttered, Gliek swung his sword again. Jin and the Black Knights fought back, but if they missed even one more attack, Ron would be torn to shreds without a trace.
Unlike Jin, the Black Knights now felt that protecting Ron was meaningless. Unless they used Numerus’s Tears, recovery seemed impossible.
But Jin protected Ron tenaciously.
“12th Flagbearer, you must give up. This is too much.”
“No, we must save him, Lord Stam.”
“Do you really not understand that acting on emotion won't improve the situation?!”
But Stam was incorrect.
If anything, Jin was making this judgment with almost no emotion involved.
The reason Jin was so determined to save Ron was simple: Kelliark Zipple.
He knew that the very man who had pushed the Hairan Clan into this wretched fate would soon arrive.
He... will definitely save Lord Ron.
With the power of the Demon God Stone.
Whether that could truly be called “saving” him was uncertain, but one thing was clear: using the power of the Demon God Stone, Ron could fight again. Even if… even if it meant treading a path far removed from righteousness.
Stam read Jin’s expression and belatedly realized his intent, feeling a chill run down his spine.
If Jin were merely being stubborn out of grief, Stam would have given up on Ron. It would surely be better to let the man find peace now rather than forcing him to fight again by relying on a cursed object like a Demon God Stone.
But peace was not what Ron desired.
What he wanted was to fight until he could reclaim whatever fragment of Dante remained on this desolate battlefield. He wouldn't care what horrific or cruel means were necessary.
Not now that he knew his grandson was still inside that monster.
“Kelliark Zipple will take measures for Lord Ron, and Lord Ron will fight. Above all, Lord Ron is absolutely necessary for this battle. Since the Patriarch is not here… Black Knight Captain, do you really think I’m ruining things because of my emotions?!”
Suppressing the wretched feeling in his heart, Jin spat out the words.