Chapter 567: Gliek, King of the Black Sea (11)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 567: Gliek, King of the Black Sea (11)
‘What in the world…!’
No matter where he looked, there was nothing but an oppressive darkness.
The sharp roar of the Great Ice Plain shattering, the frantic shouts of people reacting to the sudden upheaval, the deafening crash of debris, sword energy, and magic colliding—all of it had vanished.
Without any time to process it or a chance to resist, the sensation of being entirely severed from the world set his every nerve on edge. Yet, all he could feel was the hollow energy unique to this pitch-black void.
For a fleeting moment, Jin was struck by the illusion that he had died, but he forced himself to maintain his composure.
‘It seems I’ve been pulled into Gliek’s subspace.’
He raised his hand and looked at his sword. Within the pitch-black darkness, his body and his belongings were the only things that retained their original colors.
Jin had entered a space nearly identical to this once before.
‘It’s almost exactly like Solderet’s subspace. There is definitely a deep connection between Spirit Energy and the power of Chaos that I don’t yet understand. They are unpleasantly similar.’
The darkness Gliek had formed closely resembled the Shadow’s subspace. One could even say everything was identical, save for a single detail:
Whether the space held goodwill or absolute hostility toward him.
Solderet’s subspace had been filled with a strangely familiar and comforting warmth. This current darkness, however, was saturated with an indescribably massive malice.
And that malice wasn't just staring at him.
He began to feel an invisible, eerie, and freezing force infiltrating his entire body.
"Ugh!"
It felt as if a frozen blade was carving through his flesh and piercing his bones.
His fists clenched reflexively, and a groan escaped through his gritted teeth.
Chaos.
What was causing Jin such sheer agony was the Chaos imbued with Gliek’s will.
This power far exceeded the countless types of physical and mental pain Jin had endured up until now. If not for the iron will he had forged while crossing the line between life and death time and time again, he would have lost consciousness within five minutes.
"Heugh, kh-haak…"
Even for Jin, fear was inevitable. There were no allies in this dark space to help him, and the thought of escaping this place alone seemed impossible.
An emotion he hadn't felt even when facing the Imperial Army or the massive forces of Zipple was beginning to dominate him.
‘Damn it, my hand…!’
Suddenly, Jin recoiled in horror.
He saw the tips of his fingers gripping his sword being dyed black by Chaos.
It was something he had never experienced, yet he recognized it instantly. This hideous discoloration was the result of being encroached upon by Chaos.
A chill ran down his spine, and his blood felt as if it were running cold.
As he watched, the energy of Chaos that had stained a single joint of his index finger began to spread. It moved like a crawling caterpillar.
Moreover, the encroachment hadn't just started at his fingertips.
Every place where the pain was particularly intense was a point where the encroachment was taking root.
What happens once the encroachment is complete?
The conclusion he reached instinctively was a future where he became a part of Gliek—just as Dante had.
He had to overcome this.
‘The scale and depth are different, but this is fundamentally no different from the despairs I’ve always overcome. I must stop the encroachment somehow and find a way out of here.’
He lifted his head and struggled to stand.
However, he collapsed as soon as he took a single step. After five such failed attempts, Jin concluded that walking in this state was impossible.
Just as a man cannot walk with severed legs, Jin could not move forward now. It was a limitation that could not be defied by sheer will alone.
Therefore, Jin sat down. He didn't just collapse; he crossed his legs and focused his mind.
Spirit Energy Release.
First, he knew he had to use it to push out the Chaos spreading through his body. Shadows submerged in Chaos began to rise in response to Jin’s Spirit Energy Release.
Fortunately, it worked. The released Spirit Energy washed away the Chaos like a stream of clear water.
A glimmer of hope appeared. For someone without the power of Creation, only a Contractor of Shadows could glimpse a possibility of escaping Gliek’s subspace in this manner.
The problem was twofold.
First, because of the agonizing pain, he couldn't perform Spirit Energy Release as stably as usual.
It needed to pour out like a waterfall to completely halt the encroachment, but the power of the shadows was responding feebly.
Second was a new phenomenon that occurred as soon as the Spirit Energy Release began.
The Chaos that hadn't been pushed away was trying to 'mix' with the Spirit Energy. It was like a stream of water returning to its source.
‘Nothing about this damn war and these battles is ever easy.’
The Spirit Energy mixed with Chaos was violently slipping from Jin’s control.
Furthermore, it was growing stronger. Excluding the manifestation of Solderet’s will during the first war, Jin had never seen Spirit Energy fluctuate so intensely.
It was similar to when Spirit Energy mixed with Aura and Mana to strengthen them, only this was as difficult to control as a Raging Beast.
The Spirit Energy Release itself was weak, but the shadows mixed with Chaos were explosive.
Even if it was dangerous, there was no reason not to use it.
‘This might be another of Gliek’s traps, but I have no other choice anyway. With the pure Spirit Energy of Spirit Energy Release alone, I can only slow down the encroachment.’
Jin’s choice was no different from throwing himself into a violent, muddy torrent with no known destination.
Yet, somehow, confidence welled up within him.
The attribute of Chaos that strengthened Spirit Energy—he felt that perhaps even this was an arrangement by the being who had created that principle. It was likely the will of the god, Solderet.
I will make this power mine.
The Spirit Energy began to move according to Jin’s will.
The flow accelerated as he transitioned from merely resisting Chaos to survive, to actively seizing control—a milestone born of pure struggle.
He suppressed the Spirit Energy that had become excessively violent and seized the masses of energy that had grown stronger.
Blood constantly filled his throat due to the backlash of Chaos, and his consciousness flickered at times, but Jin was certain of one thing:
His body, which had been crushed by pain, was gradually recovering.
No, it was more than that. Though unstable, a power that surpassed his limits was surging within him as if it were about to explode.
Around that time, Jin noticed that another power inherent within him—separate from Spirit Energy—was reacting to the Chaos.
Blood.
The Fighting God Blood. It had gone beyond mere recognition, fundamentally altering the physical essence of the human named Jin Runcandel to make him identical to his brothers. Now, it was fiercely driving back the Chaos.
‘It seems predation isn't something permitted only to you, Gliek!’
Pzzzzzt!
Lightning sparked and mixed between the Spirit Energy and Chaos. As if Ban’s blood did not fear encroachment in the slightest, it was instead dragging all the captured Chaos straight into the Heart of Light.
Soon, Jin uncrossed his legs and stood up straight.
His shoulders still felt heavy, as if he were submerged underwater, but as he took slow steps forward, the pain eased considerably.
With every step, the Spirit Energy that had been fluctuating wildly as it mixed with the Chaos began to settle into place.
By the time he had taken seven steps, Jin felt that he had overcome the first trial of this subspace.
The encroachment had completely stopped, and Jin was no longer in pain.
The Chaos that had raged so fiercely while mixed with Spirit Energy now flickered faintly, like the pulse of a living corpse.
And his body, which had been utterly exhausted from the long battle, was now overflowing with a power more intense than before the war had even begun. He felt as if there was nothing in the world he couldn't cut down.
‘Did I achieve temporary growth by overcoming Chaos? Or is it… some kind of side effect?’
He couldn't gauge it immediately.
Seeing the traces of discoloration remaining across his body, he knew there would surely be a price to pay either way.
Furthermore, Jin realized that his battle lust was burning far too brightly. It was the exact opposite of his intent to maintain as much composure as possible.
‘If it cannot become entirely mine, it is a dangerous power. Since the physical encroachment has stopped, it seems it’s trying to break my mind this time.’
Jin judged that the target of the Chaos’s encroachment had shifted from his body to his mind—just as it had with his sister, Yona.
He couldn't guarantee he would win again. Neither Spirit Energy Release nor the Fighting God Blood would be able to directly protect his mind.
He had to find an exit while he could still maintain his sanity.
The situation outside was likely one of two things: his allies were either trying to save him, or they were battling Gliek.
Though worried, he tried not to think about it. Just suppressing the fighting spirit and murderous intent rising like an inner demon left him with no room for anything else.
The path ahead was still pitch-black, and the only things he could hear were his own breathing and the soft crackle of lightning spreading from his Fighting God Blood.
He swung Bradamante, which was coated in strengthened Spirit Energy. Despite his conviction that there was nothing he couldn't cut, the subspace remained completely unaffected.
It was the same no matter how many times he tried. Thus, there was only one choice Jin could make: he had to keep walking until something else appeared.
And within that vast, desolate subspace, Jin encountered something other than darkness far sooner than expected.
‘A person…?!’
Though the figure appeared faint and obscured, he could clearly make out a human form crouching in a corner of the darkness far ahead.
Jin sprinted toward it and was soon able to recognize who it was.
"Lord Ron!"
He hadn't expected anyone else to be captured in this subspace. Especially Ron—hadn't he been the furthest away?
‘Then the others must also…!’
The moment Jin reached that thought, Ron lifted his head and looked him in the eye. As soon as their gazes met, Jin was forced to come to a dead halt.
A mad, unbridled hostility.
A hatred as thick and deep as the resentment he had first felt from Gliek… Ron’s absolute hatred was directed right at him.
"Lord Ron! It’s Jin Runcandel. Do you not recognize me…?"
"Why?"
Ron cut Jin off.
In that instant, Jin noticed that Ron’s pupils were as black as oil. He immediately realized the reason: he had been encroached upon by the very Chaos that had been crushing Jin moments ago.
Ron stood up and continued.
"You are the one this monster is after… so why? Why did my grandson become its prey in your stead? Tell me. Why was it that child who was sacrificed, and not you…?"
By the time Ron finished speaking, his black-stained Lasid was already pressing against Jin’s throat.