Chapter 562: King of the Black Sea, Gliek (6)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 562: King of the Black Sea, Gliek (6)
Oooooooo—!
A chilling, dark energy began to pour from Hrotti. Like hundreds of black snakes, the power of the Demon God Stone coiled around Ron.
That power became his flesh, his bone, and his blood.
Hot breath escaped his parted lips as his shattered body was restored to its original form.
Ron’s resurrection was distinctly different from those previously brought back by the Demon God Stone. It was on another level entirely compared to the mere wraiths who had simply regained physical forms.
This was the result of every god trapped within the Demon God Stone being moved by his will.
Since the disappearance of Numerus, the God of Hope, the gods had never seen a human overcome death through pure, unadulterated will alone, without any divine protection.
They had never even heard of such a thing.
The event was so shocking that the gods—despite their hazy consciousness within the stone and their terror of Gliek—clearly recognized the miracle Ron had wrought.
It was a brilliant miracle that no cage, not even the Demon God Stone itself, could obscure. It illuminated the dark and terrifying land.
‘I thought such a near-perfect resurrection was impossible unless the Demon God Stone was complete…! Ron Hairan, just how many times do you intend to surprise me?’
It was more than respect; it was awe.
Kelliark’s heart began to race. He felt a profound sense of shame for having looked down on Ron, for having relied on the power of the Demon God Stone right before Gliek’s awakening.
Even Gliek seemed impressed.
The power of gods to revive the dead held no interest for him, but a miracle achieved by a human’s will alone was worth witnessing.
It wasn't that he was being careless. It was simply that, in his long and lonely immortality that felt more like a punishment, he never thought he would see something so radiant again.
Furthermore, Gliek felt a flicker of anticipation.
He thought that this human named Ron Hairan might one day become a being like himself—just as Kial and the other Kings of the Black Sea had once hoped for Cyron.
Unfortunately, Dante’s will, which remained inside Gliek, failed to recognize Ron’s miracle. Since the Black Sea-ification had begun, Dante’s consciousness, already like a flickering candle, was now fading even faster.
Fuuuuu…
Eventually, the black energy of the Demon God Stone was fully absorbed. Ron took a long breath and opened his eyes.
His body was no longer frail as it had been when he first woke from his illness.
The new realm of martial arts he had reached filled him with a robust strength he had never known. The bones and organs he had lost as the price for unleashing the Overlord Sword had all returned to their proper places.
Yet, even as his physical body was fully restored…
Only one thing remained unchanged.
The sorrow of having lost everything. The grief he could not forget even in death, the very thing that had driven him to move, was still tearing, clawing, and shredding his heart.
“Lord Ron.”
Ron turned to look at Jin.
Jin could not bring himself to raise his head. He was suffocating under the guilt of having wished to resurrect Ron with the Demon God Stone and then witnessing it actually happen.
Ron said nothing.
Instead, he gently patted Jin’s shoulder. No words he knew could properly convey his gratitude and comfort.
Ron began to walk slowly toward Gliek, passing Kelliark Zipple without a word.
The Demon God Stone no longer trembled in fear. It wasn't because the gods within thought they could now defeat Gliek, but rather out of respect for the human named Ron Hairan.
Kelliark followed behind him in silence. Talaris, Stam, and the Black Knights also naturally formed a formation with Ron at its center.
Following the path Kelliark had cleared, Octavia, the Wraith Squad, and the other Zipple mages entered the inner area. Almost simultaneously, Rosa and the Runcandel knights joined the battlefield.
Unlike the battered Zipple forces, where it was hard to find a single uninjured person, Runcandel appeared to have suffered almost no loss in strength.
While Kelliark had cast everything aside to rush in and save Jin, Rosa had arrived while single-handedly protecting all the knights of her clan.
‘Did Kelliark resurrect Ron Hairan? No, that’s not all.’
Rosa had not personally witnessed the miracle Ron performed, but she could tell. She knew that Ron had not been resurrected by the power of the Demon God Stone alone.
An indescribably pure and powerful energy was radiating from his back. The meaning of that energy was clear.
‘He is continuing to transcend his limits…’
Continuous transcendence.
The current Ron was stronger than the Ron of a moment ago. Her entire body shuddered just from the pressure he exuded.
However, Rosa also knew about the Kings of the Black Sea. She knew they were beings that could not be cut unless one reached the realm of Creation.
In the past, she had seen Cyron shatter his limits moment by moment, just as Ron was doing now, right before he reached Creation.
But even for Cyron, it had taken a considerable amount of time to climb that final step.
Rosa believed that no matter how many more times Ron transcended during this fight, it would ultimately be impossible for him to reach Creation here and now.
More than anything, she worried that if she entertained even a sliver of that possibility, she might unconsciously rely on it, and her judgment would be clouded.
All Runcandel knights, except for the Black Knights and the first division of the Black Sword Council, took their positions near the Barmul Alliance. They were under orders to secure Jin’s companions and escape from Gliek the moment the battle began.
This was not out of consideration for Jin. If her intent had been purely to protect him, Rosa would never have given such an order.
Rosa was saving Jin’s companions to prevent more variables from being added to an already desperate fight. There was no telling how Jin would act if his companions were killed. At any other time, she would control him by force, but they didn't have that luxury against Gliek.
Rosa, like Talaris, recognized that there was only one path forward.
‘If Cyron has already entered the depths of the Black Sea… even using the Palace Master’s Snow Toad, it will take at least ten days for him to arrive.’
That meant they had to stall Gliek for more than ten days.
This place was now the world’s final line of defense.
The moment Gliek broke through the knights and mages gathered here and stepped outside, the world would face destruction. There was no other force capable of stopping a King of the Black Sea.
Kinzelo remained, of course.
However, the fact that Kinzelo was not here, despite being the only ones who knew the true nature of the White Stone, meant that this very scene was exactly what they had wanted from the start.
‘We can never last that long through pure combat alone.’
Rosa made eye contact with Talaris.
‘So, the key isn't the strengthened Ron Hairan, nor Zipple with their Demon God Stone, nor our Runcandel. It has to be the Palace Master…’
The Absolute Sealing of the Secret Palace.
Only that could buy enough time for Cyron to arrive. Rosa and Kelliark, the two who knew of the Secret Palace’s sealing capabilities, were thinking the exact same thing.
The problem was whether the Secret Palace’s Absolute Sealing could truly hold for more than ten days.
Gliek’s shadow fell over those facing him.
[Speak your name.]
It was the first time Gliek had focused his attention entirely on someone other than Jin.
“Ron Hairan. I am the grandfather of the child you devoured, the master of this land you are annihilating, and the human who will kill you.”
[Just now, the last of your child’s will has vanished.]
Ron did not waver. Such words could no longer wound him. Tragedy could no longer touch his soul.
The pain settled in his heart was an ocean. No matter what was added to that sea of sorrow, the result was always the same: it sank into the depths and disappeared. Even Ron himself could not fathom its scale or depth.
“Is that so.”
[Even death could not erase your pain. The only way to be saved from it is to become a being like me.]
Rashid turned ash-gray. Once again, the pattern of the Overlord Sword was being etched onto Ron’s body.
He had no lingering attachment to the life he had regained just minutes ago. Even if he were to cut down and eliminate Gliek, what meaning would the life that followed have for him?
One of Gliek’s hands protruded from his massive body and descended before Ron, as if inviting him to take it.
[So, if you wish to escape eternal suffering, come to me.]
Instead of answering, Ron swung Rashid upward and severed the arm. However, the limb that fell to the ground was immediately absorbed into the Black Sea-ified earth and returned to Gliek.
[You people truly never see even an inch ahead.]
In that moment, Gliek’s interest in Ron vanished. He fixed his gaze back on Jin, and the battle resumed instantly.
Hundreds of swords and spears pressured the humans more quickly and precisely than before. Ron thrust Rashid forward, letting out a monstrous roar.
The ash-gray sword energy, spreading like a surging tide, clashed with the energy of chaos.
However, Gliek seemed to have judged that even the Overlord Sword, unleashed by Ron in his perfect state, was not a significant threat. He paid little mind to Rashid, casually blocking it wherever it struck his body while pouring almost all his attacks onto Jin.
But just as Rosa had predicted, Gliek was more wary of Talaris than he was of Ron.
He had seen through their plan: to summon the one being in the world with the power to defy fate. Just as Kial and Cyron had sensed the moment Gliek awakened, he, too, recognized their existence. As his mind cleared through the process of Black Sea-ification, their power became even more vivid.
Gliek believed that as long as he prevented the demigod—who would be fighting his brother—from coming here, nothing would be a problem. But even if the demigod did arrive, the possibility of him being a threat was very low. There was no way he could be in perfect condition immediately after a battle with Kial.
In other words, whether Cyron could make it here or not, Gliek’s wariness of Talaris was merely a precaution to eliminate even the smallest of possibilities.
Because a power that defies fate is always dangerous, no matter the time or situation.
“Palace Master. If you deploy the seal, how long can you hold out against that thing?” Rosa asked as she stepped in front of Talaris.
“…It will be difficult to last more than three days, Rosa Runcandel.”
Hearing the answer, Rosa could only grit her teeth.