Chapter 630: Smarion Prochi (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 630: Smarion Prochi (2)
The closer Jin got to Ghost Song Castle, the more potent the energies emanating from it became.
It grew so intense that not only Jin, but also his companions, the Ghost Band, and even the lower-ranking members of the Black King Corps could feel it.
‘I expected Smarion Prochi’s energy to be formidable, but… to this extent?’
‘Will the Young Master really be alright alone? Even at this distance, it’s getting hard to breathe.’
His companions thought as they watched Jin’s retreating back.
They had heard he had beaten Lanke Halovice to within an inch of his life upon arriving, but the energy Smarion was currently unleashing was even greater than that.
Furthermore, the power Smarion was radiating wasn't even his full strength.
‘Even with the army we brought, we would have been no match for Smarion Prochi…’
A chill ran down his companions’ spines as they grasped the true nature of Smarion’s power.
They didn't even want to imagine how many casualties the Barmul Alliance would have suffered if Jin hadn't finished his training and returned at this exact moment.
Jin, too, felt a sense of relief that he wasn't too late.
‘It’s a good thing I came straight here.’
If his training had dragged on, if the Red Owl hadn't been completed, or if Smarion had broken the seal any sooner—if even one of those things had gone wrong, people would have certainly died.
The landscape grew darker as he reached the edge of the forest.
The Ghost Forest, eroded by chaos, was as desolate as the Black Sea. The towering Ghost Song Castle seemed to waver, looking as if it might explode at any second.
Jin threw open the castle gates without hesitation.
The chaos clinging to the gates stuck to his hands like ash, but his lightning energy quickly burned it away.
Before long, Jin reached the lowest floor where Smarion Prochi was waiting.
The massive steel door that had hidden the seal had melted away into chaos, leaving only faint traces behind.
Just as they had predicted from the outside, the seal—created by the elders of the Ghost Band at the cost of their lives—was already broken.
“Come out, Smarion Prochi.”
[Indeed, you are undoubtedly of Cyron’s bloodline...]
Even though he had never seen Jin before, Smarion spoke with absolute certainty.
‘Does he still have his reason?’
Jin had considered the possibility. If Smarion were running on pure instinct and demonic nature, he wouldn't have waited for Jin as if welcoming a long-awaited rival.
However, the consciousness that remained was closer to blind hostility than reason. It was a hostility directed at Cyron and any being who wielded shadows. A loathing for spirit energy was a common trait among all entities of chaos.
[You possess a most unpleasant power as well.]
Creeeeeak—!
A pitch-black hand thrust out from the darkness beyond the broken seal, tearing through the cracks in reality.
As that hand ripped apart the last remnants of the seal, a sharp, discordant screech resembling a human scream pierced the air.
It was the sound of the sorrowful souls of the Ghost Band elders, once contained within the seal, being vomited out.
The vengeful spirits were visible as faint, hazy forms, desperately trying to escape.
But they were caught in Smarion’s grasp and became his ‘prey.’ As if chewing on the raw meat of a wild bird, Smarion greedily devoured the spirits.
“I have one question before I draw my sword. I doubt I'll have the luxury of holding back once we begin.”
Jin locked eyes with Smarion. Not a single shred of humanity could be seen in his blood-red pupils.
“Your children, Sir Rata Prochi and Fey Prochi, are outside with my companions. Will you stand down for their sake?”
[Why should I care about such flavorless things?]
Shring. Bradamante slid from its scabbard with a grim scrape of steel. A bitter light flickered in Jin’s eyes for a moment before they hardened.
“That’s a pity. I shall assume that if you hadn't been consumed by chaos, you would have spared them a thought.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Jin’s vision went pitch black.
The chaos Smarion harbored had exploded.
Starting from the lowest floor, the explosion began to collapse the entire Ghost Song Castle in the blink of an eye.
Tremors spread outside, and the waiting forces strengthened their shields, their eyes wide.
Even from more than two kilometers away, the shockwaves battering their shields were nothing short of savage.
Jin took the direct hit at point-blank range.
And yet, visible through the swirling debris of the shattered castle, Jin stood completely unharmed.
He had unleashed his spirit sword, nullifying the torrent of chaos that had poured over him.
Within the blast, Jin’s eyes glowed with a cold, brilliant light as he tracked Smarion’s movements.
Smarion, having formed twin swords out of chaos, was also searching for him.
The ground gave way.
Having been eroded by chaos for so long, Ghost Song Castle could not withstand the impact and simply vanished into dust.
The Prochi siblings and the Ghost Band members didn't dare let out a single sigh as they watched the castle collapse. They felt that doing so would be an insult to Jin, who was fighting for them.
The explosion of chaos had carved out a natural dueling ground for the two. As the earth was gouged into a massive semicircle, their bodies hung momentarily in the air. Before their feet could touch the ground again, they swung their swords at each other.
Spirit energy and chaos—three black blades became intricately entangled.
Every time the chaos exploded, a veil of spirit energy nullified it. With every clash of their swords, the shockwaves sent fissures spiderwebbing ever wider across the land.
The scale of destruction was utterly unbelievable, the result of just a few seconds of combat between two men.
“Combat has commenced! We’re moving in! Prepare to activate the disruptors!”
At Quicantel’s command, the Barmul Alliance advanced toward the battlefield with disciplined precision.
They couldn't approach quickly. A storm of spirit energy, chaos, aura, mana, and lightning raged before them.
[I have been waiting for someone exactly like you. One of the same kind as Cyron Runcandel…! I will devour you and then go find him.]
Kieeeeeee—!
Endless torrents of chaos battered the ground, distorting space itself.
If left alone, Smarion could erase the entire region from the map without tiring.
The sheer magnitude of his raw power certainly surpassed Jin’s.
‘As expected. Even if some consciousness remains, in the end, it’s nothing but bloodlust steeped in demonic nature.’
What makes a warrior strong isn't the sheer volume of their power, but the mastery and enlightenment gained through struggle.
And Smarion had forgotten most of the enlightenment he had gained as a human.
Clang—!
Jin struck upward against Smarion’s twin swords as they fell like a thunderbolt. The chaos swords shattered, and Jin’s blade continued on to graze Smarion’s neck.
The fragments of the broken swords transformed, much like Kaio’s scattered teeth, and lunged at Jin.
One of the pieces grazed Jin’s cheek, but seizing the opening, Jin slashed across Smarion’s chest.
Black blood splattered. Smarion backed away, spraying pitch-black chaos.
Hundreds of chaos spheres rained from the sky, tearing through spirit energy veils and aura shields.
The chaos that pierced those defenses continued beyond the battlefield, battering the entire forest.
It was then that the first of the companions to enter the battlefield witnessed the fight.
‘That... is the Lord?’
‘All this massive power… and it isn’t dealing any real damage to the Lord at all…!’
On their way in, it had been Smarion’s power, not Jin’s, that had made their advance so difficult.
Because of that, they had thought Jin might be on the losing end.
But that wasn't the case at all.
He was like a ship standing firm against raging waves and tsunamis, maintaining his center as he parried Smarion's onslaught.
He was on a different level.
At that moment, the companions keenly felt it: Jin had surpassed the 10-star rank and entered the realm of transcendence.
Just by looking at his back, now a distant dot, it felt as if a giant were standing right in front of them.
His opponent was a top-tier chaos-infected being, the indisputably strongest Ghost Captain in history.
Even as he clashed with such a legendary being, and even though it was Smarion who dominated the space with overwhelming power, the companions couldn't imagine Jin losing.
In reality, Jin's task wasn't a struggle for victory. It was to win while minimizing collateral damage.
The outcome had been decided the moment they drew their swords. The only question was how cleanly he could achieve it.
That was the true meaning behind his question before the fight: You can't defeat me, so why not stop?
“Deploy the disruptors!”
As Quicantel shouted, five hundred blue rods soared into the air. The disruptors floated, connecting in a circle of mana. In the next moment, the powerful auras that had been vibrating throughout the battlefield began to fade.
‘As expected, there’s no need to doubt Master Quaul’s inventions. If they work this well even on me, they’d be like poison to warriors below my level.’
Of course, this was only possible because five hundred disruptors were concentrated on just two people.
The magnitude of the energy Jin and Smarion were emitting dropped significantly, and the rate at which the forest and ground were being destroyed slowed.
Smarion attempted to strengthen his chaos to compensate, but Jin simply heightened his senses as he parried the attacks—his sense for operating aura.
‘However, five hundred will be far from enough to interfere with the aura operation of those who have entered the Realm of Transcendence.’
An aura far more massive than before the disruptors were activated was forming in Jin’s Heart of Light. It was a feat Smarion, steeped in demonic nature, could never achieve.
‘Regardless, for now, this makes it easier to protect my companions.’
Pluto Sword Fighting King Ultimate Technique.
Brotherhood Guardian.
As Jin’s Heart of Light emitted a brilliant radiance, lightning poured down over the heads of his companions.
Instead of dealing damage, the lightning transformed into protective shields.
Every member of the Barmul Alliance nearby received the protection of the Brotherhood Guardian.
Smarion’s chaos, which had bypassed the spirit energy veils and Dragon Fire Barriers, could not pierce the dense blue shields it finally reached.
Jin gripped Bradamante once more and fixed his gaze on Smarion.
“You won't be able to kill anyone anymore, Smarion Prochi.”