Chapter 590: Kinzelo’s Purpose (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 590: Kinzelo’s Purpose (2)
For a moment, Jin and his companions doubted their own ears.
Purification.
That wasn’t a word one would expect from a shadowy organization that had made its name through terrorism and sabotage.
Besides, hadn’t Kinzelo stood by and watched, fully aware that Gliek was about to be unleashed? As a direct result, the world had been plunged into chaos, a corruption that was now spreading through all living things.
And yet, they spoke of purification. The sheer absurdity of it all left Jin momentarily speechless.
“…Purification?”
“Yes, purification! Our goal at Kinzelo is to make the world a more beautiful place.”
Margiella’s voice was vibrant and confident, completely unfazed by their shock. Beside her, Ainas and Bubar nodded in agreement as if to say, Exactly.
I knew they were crazy, but I didn't think they’d lost their minds as a group.
From all appearances, they were dead serious. Margiella’s eyes even seemed to sparkle as she envisioned a world made beautiful by their hands.
“It seems your definition of purification is quite different from the one we’re familiar with.”
“It’s probably the same. Haven’t you ever thought about it, Sir Jin? This world is filled with so much unnecessary pain and so many contradictions.”
“I think about it often. And I think people like you are a big part of the problem.”
“It might seem that way for now.”
“So, you believe a certain amount of sacrifice and destruction is necessary for this purification of yours?”
“Exactly!”
“Setting aside whether that’s right or wrong, I have to wonder how on earth you plan to create such a utopia.”
“The method isn’t that difficult. We’re going to eliminate all the gods in the world.”
“It just keeps getting more ridiculous.”
“Once all the gods are gone, our Leader will become the sole king of the world.”
Jin’s eyes narrowed.
Eliminate all the gods… For Kinzelo, that might not be an entirely impossible task.
As far as Jin knew, the original creator of the Demon God Stone was Bubar Gaston. Although he had collaborated with Zipple, Bubar had been the core developer. The alliance between Kinzelo and Zipple had fractured precisely because Zipple had damaged the Demon God Stone by using it without permission.
And the Demon God Stone had the power to seal gods and replicate a portion of their authority.
All the Demon God Stones I’ve seen so far were incomplete. If they manage to perfect it, they could very well go beyond sealing gods and actually eliminate them.
Jin shrugged.
“I suppose you and your Leader believe the gods are responsible for all the world’s problems and injustices.”
“Not all of them, but they certainly bear most of the responsibility. If I were to describe our grand mission in more elegant terms, it would be a revolution against the gods.”
A headache began to throb in Jin’s temples.
Zipple and Kinzelo. One side wants to become the sole ruler of the world using the power of the gods, and the other wants to purify the world by killing them all… They’re all completely insane.
He let out a hollow laugh, finding it grimly amusing that such entities were the pillars of global power.
Then again, Runcandel isn’t much different. We don’t talk about killing or using gods, but in the end, we’re just trying to crush Zipple and become the world’s hegemon.
Perhaps the goals of these great powers were more cliché than strange. It didn’t really matter who wanted what; the only thing that mattered was whether they had the power to achieve it.
“I’ve heard enough about your goals. The reason humans, dragons, and demons flock to Kinzelo despite hearing such delusional dreams isn't just because they’re stupid…”
Jin paused.
“Hehehe, that tickles, heehee! Lady Ainas!”
“Hehet!”
Seeing Bubar and Ainas laughing and fooling around even now, he reconsidered. Maybe it was just a gathering of stupid people.
“…It must be because the power Kinzelo possesses is formidable,” Jin continued. “Formidable enough to make even the talk of eliminating gods and purifying the world sound believable.”
During the attack on the Sword Emperor Castle, the Leader of Kinzelo had displayed transcendental power. He possessed god-like abilities that went beyond mere martial prowess, teleporting through the Steel Gate and instantly repairing the half-destroyed Gruneil. Furthermore, the Leader had accomplished all of that while in an ‘incomplete’ state.
“What is your Leader’s true identity?”
A Demon God, a Demon King, or an equivalent being—Jin’s companions had already speculated as much.
Currently, not just the Barmul Alliance but the entire world was desperate to learn the Kinzelo Leader’s identity. Since Kinzelo’s emergence as a third global power, countless people had tried to uncover who he was, but he remained shrouded in mystery.
The number of people searching for the Leader’s identity had increased sharply of late.
Suddenly, a strange thought struck Jin.
The fact that Kinzelo might have had the means to resolve the Gliek incident during the Sword Emperor Holy War was never made public. So why did the number of people searching for the Leader’s identity suddenly increase after the war ended…?
As his thoughts crystalized, Jin’s eyes widened.
Is it because Zipple’s history manipulation has weakened since the Sword Emperor Holy War?!
He had already suspected during the attack on the Sword Emperor Castle that the Kinzelo Leader was someone whose existence had been affected by Zipple’s power over history.
—That demon… his face looks familiar.
—Are you talking about the Kinzelo Leader?
—I’ve definitely… encountered him before. With my… brothers.
—What does that mean? Are you saying you fought against the Pluto Tribe?
—I’m not… sure about that. But… I’m certain. That we met…
Linpa, whom he had summoned back then, was certain he had met the Kinzelo Leader but couldn’t remember the details.
It wasn't just Linpa; Murakan was the same. In the recording Solderet had left, Murakan clearly knew the Leader well, yet he hadn’t recognized him in person.
Margiella smiled.
“Sir Jin, you may not know it yet, but you and our Leader are deeply connected in many ways. You’ve already received his help several times. You even saved your own life with one of his former possessions.”
“His former possessions?”
“The White Whale, Luna Runcandel. A long time ago, she gave you a certain gift, didn't she?”
A chill shot down Jin’s spine.
—Oh. Kid, that thing on your neck! Is that seriously an item belonging to Beast Demon King Orgal? It is! Wow, you received quite a precious birthday present. A thousand years ago, dozens of kings threw away their lives trying to get that.
—Who is Beast Demon King Orgal?
—He exists. A formidable demon who was active in my time. This Great One can recognize it at a glance. Since it was given to you by the owner of that powerful energy from earlier, it’s as if you’ve gained an extra life. Congratulations, kid.
“Beast Demon King Orgal’s pendant…”
“Yes. The owner of that very pendant is our Leader.”
Beast Demon King Orgal.
He was the Leader of Kinzelo.
Orgal was the original owner of the pendant Jin had used, the lover of the Witch Heluram, and the one who had gifted her the Red Jade Cat, Shuri.
And in the recording Jin had seen, Orgal was the one who had stopped Murakan from killing the rampaging Temar.
The contradictions between Orgal’s words and the recording, Murakan’s failure to recognize him, the fact that even Murakan and Quicantel—who were constantly aware of ‘Orgal’—couldn’t connect him to the Kinzelo Leader…
Jin instinctively knew that Orgal’s history had been manipulated in an incredibly complex way.
Or perhaps these contradictions arose as Orgal himself resisted Zipple’s history manipulation. In fact, Orgal must have been fighting their influence long before Zipple’s power was weakened by Gliek. That would explain why Murakan and Quicantel remembered the name Orgal but couldn’t recognize the man himself.
“Lady Luna slew one of the Dukes of the Demon World to obtain the Leader’s pendant, then gave it to you. People often call such things fate. If the Leader hadn’t parted with that pendant long ago, it never would have found its way to you, Sir Jin.”
Jin did not respond.
“You probably wouldn't have received Lady Luna’s help, and you would have died at the hands of Andrei Zipple on that deserted island in Viment. We wouldn't be meeting and talking like this now, either!”
His mind was a whirlwind.
“So, can’t you feel even a little bit of gratitude toward the Leader? This is a fate that he created.”
“Let’s say Beast Demon King Orgal is great enough to determine fate,” Jin said, his voice cold. “Even if I survived Andrei on that island because of him, that was for your sake, not mine.”
“Why must you always be so cynical?”
“Because if I had been absorbed by the Demon God Stone back then, Zipple would have obtained the completed version of that wretched thing before you did.”
“Hmm… I suppose that’s true.”
“No matter what anyone says, the one who saved me that day was my sister, Luna. Not Orgal. I’d appreciate it if you didn't try to piggyback on her actions by spinning tales about fate. It’s quite unpleasant.”
Margiella waved her hands dismissively.
“Is that another mark against me for insolence?”
Without a word, Jin pulled the device and blueprints from his robe again. Bubar, who had been goofing around with Ainas the whole time, immediately snapped to attention, his eyes fixed on the items.
“Zephyrin, you remember what I said in Tikan, right? The analysis of these items will be conducted in front of both parties, and any information Kinzelo discovers must be shared with us.”
Jin intended to be as difficult and annoying as possible until the very end.
“Hah, Grand Duke! Do they have some kind of dirt on you? I feel like we’re giving up way too much here!” Margiella complained.
Zephyrin sighed. “I remember.”
“Proceed as agreed,” Jin commanded. “I’ll give you three hours for the analysis. Bubar Gaston, you’re the only one who comes forward. The rest of you stay back and wait.”
Huffling excitedly through his nose, Bubar approached Jin’s group.
Amela and the disguised Quaul set up the workbench they had brought, and the three of them immediately began the analysis.
The Kinzelo executives had absolute faith in Bubar. They believed that no engineer on earth could surpass his abilities.
However, the moment Quaul saw Bubar at work, he realized the man’s skills were far inferior to his own. He let out a single, dry cough.
The cough was a signal.
It meant that Kinzelo had failed to notice the engineering traps Quaul had installed in the items before they even arrived in the Land of the Beastmen.