Chapter 570: The Sword Emperor (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 570: The Sword Emperor (2)
Naturally, Ron had not been driven mad by the grief of losing Dante, nor was he claiming his grandson was alive without basis.
“Lord Ron, are you saying… Dante is still alive?”
Ron nodded. Jin barely managed to steady his heart, which felt like it was about to flood his chest. It hammered against his ribs as if he’d been running at full tilt.
Ever since the war began, Jin had never once given up on Dante. Not when the monster that swallowed his friend claimed Dante’s will had vanished. Not when the creature’s blades and spears struck at him and Ron without a shred of hesitation. Not even when he was dragged into this godforsaken subspace.
Jin believed—or rather, he had to believe—that the existence known as Dante Hairan had not yet been completely erased from the world. He didn't have the confidence to endure this horrific struggle if he accepted that Dante was truly gone.
And yet, in the deepest recesses of his mind, he had been unable to shake the haunting thought that Dante was already dead.
“I can feel the boy’s energy. At the very end of this subspace…”
It was a realization Ron had gained the moment he touched the light of the Realm of Creation. The ‘truth,’ which had been veiled by a shroud of chaos, was finally revealing itself.
This subspace was not merely fashioned from chaos; it was the manifestation of Gliek’s inner self.
Because the aftereffects of his long sealing had not yet faded and the “Black Sea-ification” was incomplete, Gliek hadn’t even realized what still lingered in his own depths.
Dante Hairan.
His will, which Gliek claimed to have extinguished, was still resisting from a forgotten corner of the monster’s abyss. It was as faint as a distant star, but it was undeniably there, even if only in a state of unconsciousness.
In other words, it was Dante’s will, remaining in Gliek’s subconscious, that had allowed Ron to enter the subspace with Jin. He had done it so Jin would not fall into this terrifying place alone, so he would not vanish in loneliness without a glimmer of hope. He had called for the only person who could help: his grandfather.
Dante was just like Jin and Ron. In this horrific, protracted struggle, he, too, had never made a choice solely for himself.
“I am going to save the boy now.”
Ron’s voice trembled slightly. It was a tremor born from the overwhelming emotion of knowing Dante was just ahead, but that wasn’t all.
Fear.
The fear that he might not be able to save Dante, even after reaching the Realm of Creation. The fear of whether he could truly slay Gliek alone. The fear that this fragile hope he had finally grasped might vanish like a soap bubble…
Such emotions were woven into the fabric of Ron’s voice. These were feelings he hadn’t experienced while falling to his inner demons and undergoing demonization. The cold, detached mindset of one who had just ascended to the Realm of Creation had not erased this fundamental terror.
It was a testament to how desperate Ron truly was. The heart-wrenching love for his grandson—a love that neither despair, nor death, nor demonization could overcome—was making him tremble.
“I am afraid,” Ron confessed, his voice raw. “So, please… walk with this old man. Can you do that for me?”
“Of course.”
“In my life…”
Suddenly, Ron bowed his head to Jin. Jin was too stunned to react but kept his bewilderment from his face.
“…I will remember this as an honor like no other.”
Ron turned away as he finished speaking.
Szzzzzz!
Rashid erupted with a blinding radiance. Its blade shone brighter than any sword Jin had ever seen. The light of the Realm of Creation that Ron had achieved possessed a completely different quality from Cyron’s.
If the Creation Cyron had reached was the essence of the Path of the Overlord, then Ron’s light was Righteousness itself.
Therefore, unlike Cyron’s, his sword was not meant for crushing, cutting, and killing. It was a sword for preserving, protecting, and saving.
The Hairan family had stood alongside the empire for its entire history. For most of that time, they possessed power that surpassed the imperial family’s, yet they always sought the safety of the people rather than usurpation. Even when they chose to harbor the White Stone, they endured its burden alone, fearing the disaster its power might bring upon the world, and never once succumbed to greed.
That long history of protection, passed down from their ancestors, was now manifesting in the sword of the Hairan Patriarch, igniting a fire in the darkness.
The subspace, reacting to that light, began to vibrate violently. It felt as if Gliek’s malice and wrath would materialize at any moment to swallow them whole. In fact, Gliek intended to do just that, but the radiance emanating from Rashid repelled him.
Then, as Ron gently swung his sword, the tremors ceased. Instead, a bleak wind howled from all directions—it was the sound of Gliek’s scream of agony.
The power of Creation, which defied destiny, was finally wounding him. It was a pain Gliek had not felt in millennia.
Fwaaaa…!
A sound like sand scattering in the wind arose. The faint whisper rapidly amplified, causing an intense resonance throughout the subspace. In the next moment, Jin saw the hollow darkness, which had seemed impossible to cut, begin to shatter.
Cracks spiderwebbed through the subspace, as if a sealed door was being smashed open.
As Ron slashed through the space in a straight line once more, a new path, previously invisible, tore itself open. The passage gaped like the maw of a dead beast, leading toward Gliek’s abyss.
The scenery beyond was entirely different from the stable subspace they had just been in. A massive storm of chaos surged wildly, like a sea caught in a hurricane. Even with a warrior of the Realm of Creation by his side, Jin wondered if they could truly cross that hellish landscape.
But the two did not hesitate for a moment. Gripping their swords, which now shone like lanterns in the gloom, they strode into the abyss.
“If the burden becomes too great, don’t force yourself. Just hide behind my back,” Ron said.
“I hope it doesn’t come to that, but I doubt I can cross this without relying on you, Lord Ron.”
“Is that not how it always is? That is why I asked you to come with me.”
As soon as they stepped into the passage, chaos as sharp as needles pierced toward them. Each strike possessed a power that was overwhelming for Jin to handle. Whenever it became too much, he took cover behind the shield that was Ron.
It’s not just physical attacks. Just like before, the chaotic energy is continuously assaulting my mind.
But this time, Jin was completely unaffected by the chaos trying to erode his sanity. Ron was parrying the needles of chaos with his sword while simultaneously using his energy to shield their very souls from the attack.
Only Cyron and Ron could walk this long passage of the abyss. Without the power of Creation, it was impossible to prevent the encroachment on one’s soul.
However, only Ron could walk here with someone else. The power of Creation possessed by Cyron could not protect others from having their minds ravaged by chaos.
Like a ship tossed in a gale, the two swayed and faltered, but they were undeniably moving forward. As they drew deeper, Gliek desperately tried to block their path. Yet, though they looked as if they might collapse at any moment, they held their ground time and again, their expressions never breaking. They were like an unstoppable force carving its way through a mountain.
In a complete reversal of all that had happened, it was now Gliek whose inner self was being invaded.
And the monster still didn’t know why these hateful humans were braving such danger to enter his abyss. If they wanted to kill him, it would be better to join the other humans outside. He simply could not understand.
The creature still did not realize that Dante was bound at the very bottom of his abyss.
“It seems we are almost there…” Ron said, his voice heavy with fatigue.
Before they knew it, they were reaching the end of the passage. Normally, Ron’s martial prowess would not have been exhausted even after crossing this tide of chaos, but sharing a portion of his Creation energy with Jin had taken its toll. Still, being tired did not mean he was unable to complete his mission.
Kaaaaakh…!
Gliek’s continuous shrieks grew distant. As they reached the final stretch, the resistance of the chaos became far weaker than it had been at the start. This meant that the end of this abyss was an area not under Gliek’s control.
If the monster had been able to control even this place—if the Black Sea-ification had progressed just a little further—Dante would have been truly annihilated, just as the creature had claimed.
Finally, they came face to face with a space of chaos that did not attack them. A soft black energy, which felt more like spirit energy than chaos, surrounded them.
And then, they saw it.
The White Stone.
Just as it had been in the inner sanctum of Sword Emperor Castle before its destruction, the figure of Dante sealed within began to appear. His form was blurred by the seal, but it was clearly him.
In this landscape of silent chaos, reached after overcoming so much despair, the two men couldn't even bring themselves to cry out Dante’s name.
Tears welled in Ron’s eyes as he swung his sword toward the seal. The barrier scattered with a single strike.
At last, Ron pulled his grandson, freed from the chaos, into a fierce embrace. His throat was too tight to speak.
“Grandfather…”
Jin’s throat was also constricted, leaving him speechless, but it was Dante who spoke, his thin voice making the moment all the more heartbreaking.
“I… couldn’t beat him. I overcame… everything… but foolishly… I was tricked at the very end…”
“It’s all right, Dante. It’s all right. It’s okay…”
Ron could no longer hold back and burst into tears like a child.