Chapter 642: Land of the Malevolent God (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 642: Land of the Malevolent God (4)
K-shing—!
Thunder erupted wherever the blades of Sigmund and Silus collided. Neither warrior showed any sign of backing down, even as they were pelted by bolts from Pluto’s Sovereign Sword pouring from the black clouds and the Blue Lightning discharged by Karma Lightning.
Instead, they charged each other with even greater ferocity and speed.
The aftershocks of their battle now ravaged the entire Garden of Swords. The storm of lightning had spread beyond the graves where the family guardians' swords were planted, reaching the outer walls and even the inner chambers.
Kaio, who had resumed his attack, was completely unaffected by Pluto’s Sovereign Sword.
On the contrary, he seemed to be strengthening God-Slayer by using Jin’s lightning as a foundation, much as he had once resonated with the energy of a Fighting God.
Kalon remained entirely consumed by chaos, but the energy of chaos itself could no longer be found within the Garden of Swords.
The combined lightning of Jin, Kaio, and Padler had erased the corruption that once filled the garden.
To Jin, however, the sight of the Garden of Swords glowing an oppressive blue was more painful than when it had been steeped in chaos.
[Krr-aaaaagh...!]
Padler let out a guttural roar.
His body was breaking apart. A hole had been gouged through his left cheek, and a horrific sound of grinding bone echoed from his waist as it twisted and straightened unnaturally.
Just moments ago, a massive arrow from God-Slayer had pierced the center of his chest. Through the gaping hole, the storm of lightning behind him was clearly visible.
Yet Padler did not fall. He simply swung his sword once more.
His physical form, which should have collapsed after dying a dozen times over, only exerted greater superhuman strength the more it was destroyed.
Where do I even have to cut him for this to end?
It felt as though he wouldn’t stop even if his head were severed. It seemed he would only halt once every last component of his body—his blood, his flesh, and the final shard of his bones—was utterly obliterated.
“What a tenacious wraith…” Kaio muttered, drawing his bow, God-Slayer.
By “tenacious,” he wasn’t referring to the power of chaos within Padler.
He was referring to the specific state Padler was currently experiencing.
Transcendence.
The transcendence of a warrior who shatters their limits while facing a powerful foe—this was the reason Padler could continue to swing his sword despite being so broken and torn.
Just as Ron Hairan had defied the fate of death during the Sword Emperor Holy War, Padler was now crossing that same boundary as he clashed blades with Jin.
‘Temar. I can see it now… the next realm.’
With every passing second, Padler felt his body grow lighter.
The destructive power of Pluto’s Sovereign Sword, which had overwhelmed his Karma Lightning at the start of the fight, no longer seemed like a threat. He felt nothing when he parried Sigmund, and no pain when lightning tore through his body.
“But even if you cross into that realm… what meaning does it hold?” Kaio called out.
Another arrow from God-Slayer tore through Padler’s form.
“It’s nothing but hollow hatred that couldn’t even overcome chaos. You could never have defeated Brother Jin. Not even if he hadn't called for me.”
The value of a heart that sought to protect others even while being consumed by chaos could not be the same as a heart that sought only to kill.
As if in rebuttal, Padler lunged past Jin’s guard and carved a long gash across his chest.
Jin pushed him back without flinching. With a sickening snap, Padler was sent rolling across the ground.
He stood up once more and leveled Silus.
The more wretched his appearance became, the more the energy of Karma Lightning amplified. It was growing without end. In terms of sheer power, Karma Lightning had now reached a level comparable to Pluto’s Sovereign Sword.
It even seemed to be spiraling out of control. The Blue Lightning surged past the black clouds formed by Pluto’s Sovereign Sword, lashing out at the Ram, the chaos dragons, and the Black Ships.
“He’s finally lost his mind and started hitting his own allies,” Kaio remarked. “Not that it’s a bad thing for Brother Jin.”
[He hasn't lost his mind, Brother Kaio,] Jin replied telepathically.
“What?”
[He knows this is the end. It seems he’s trying to destroy everything related to Runcandel while he still can.]
Rumble—!
Cracks spread like a massive wound across the lower section of the Ram. The chaos dragons and Black Ships flying beneath it were instantly reduced to ash.
For the first time, the great powers waiting outside could see the Ram becoming unstable.
A path was opening in the sky.
“Just as the Leader said. The 12th Flagbearer is damaging the Ram’s power source…” Verakt murmured, mesmerized by the lightning that illuminated the Garden of Swords, a successor to the blue flames from earlier.
He was awestruck, trembling at the sight of a level of martial might he thought he would never witness unless it came from the Leader, Cyron Runcandel, or the late Ron Hairan.
[That is not the 12th Flagbearer. It is the power of a past Ten Great Knight of Runcandel, the Blue Lightning King. Rosa Runcandel and the Prophet have grown too greedy.]
“…Are you saying another warrior on par with the 12th Flagbearer is inside the Garden of Swords?”
[Yes. But he is a dying ember. All fleets, prepare for a concentrated bombardment. We must not miss this chance.]
Unlike Zipple, Kinzelo’s fleet had not yet suffered significant damage.
As the flagships, led by the Gruneil, gathered at the front, the entire fleet of nearly five hundred ships began charging their main cannons.
Rumble—!
A bombardment rained down like a meteor shower toward the Ram and the Garden of Swords. Since over eighty percent of the fleet's attack was directed at the Garden of Swords, it seemed insufficient to take down the Ram on its own, but just then, Zephyrin’s breath attack struck the flagship’s side.
Seeing Kinzelo’s bombardment from the other side, the Zipple fleet also began to gather. Their main cannons were all aimed at the Ram.
[We must strike before the Runcandel flagship recovers…!]
Massive fireballs the size of mountains were forming behind Kadun. He was unleashing all the power he had managed to conserve while enduring the Ram’s cannons and tearing through chaos dragons and Black Ships.
‘Damn it, I never thought the soul of a Ten Great Knight… would turn out like this.’
The Prophet bit her lip, glancing at Rosa.
It was Rosa who had ordered Padler’s summoning. Because of that, even if Padler lost to Jin, Rosa wouldn't have held her responsible.
However, regardless of whether the mission to kill Jin succeeded, the failure to control Padler stemmed from the Prophet’s own lack of ability. If Rosa decided to hold her accountable later, the Prophet would inevitably fall under her thumb once again.
‘Ugh, nothing is going right. Looking at the battle, it seems even Padler… won't be able to break Jin. I should have warned her that using the souls of the Ten Great Knights was too dangerous right now.’
The Prophet had expected Stam and Lionel to be insufficient, but Padler’s failure was truly unexpected. Even accounting for variables like the summoning of a Fighting God and Pluto’s Sovereign Sword, she had believed Padler could certainly finish Jin.
‘…Perhaps this is for the best. If even Padler is defeated, Rosa Runcandel will have to move personally.’
If that happened, the rate at which Rosa’s mind was collapsing would likely accelerate.
However, the Prophet had no justification to tell Rosa to step forward. Just as she was agonizing over her next move, Rosa spoke first.
[I see now why the Joshua of the past was the way he was. Retrieve Padler’s soul.]
“Are you saying you will step in personally?”
Rosa did not answer, instead striking away Kadun’s approaching flames.
Fragments of the Ram, chaos dragons, and Black Ships floated chaotically in the dark sky. Through the debris, Kinzelo’s bombardment rained down upon the Garden of Swords.
“You humans, do you intend to challenge a god as we do? My brother told me the outside world was chaotic, but I never imagined it was to this extent.”
Kaio fired a rapid succession of Scattered Arrows to intercept the shells falling toward Jin. Most were neutralized by Pluto’s Sovereign Sword and the Blue Lightning, but occasionally one broke through.
This was because Jin was pacing himself.
He had faced Stam, then Lionel, and now Padler—all of them powerhouses who would have been absolute sovereigns in any other era, were it not for Cyron. It was only natural that he was conserving his strength.
Unlike Jin, however, Padler had no one to block the bombardment for him, nor did he have the will to deflect it himself.
He didn't even dodge the shells that pierced the storm of Karma Lightning. He simply continued to discharge Blue Lightning toward Jin and every corner of the Garden of Swords.
A demon.
Through a transcendence fueled by pure hatred, the final destination Padler was reaching was that of a monster like Smarion.
His appearance could no longer be called human.
Over seventy percent of his body, which had once glowed with a faint indigo light, had vanished. His floating torso, now legless, was riddled with holes. It was a mystery how he was still gripping his sword with only three fingers, how his half-destroyed head and single remaining eye could still burn with such hatred.
Could this truly be called the result of transcendence?
The match had been decided the moment Pluto’s Sovereign Sword was unleashed. The only reason Jin hadn't finished him was a matter of efficiency.
If he just waited a little longer, Karma Lightning would burn out on its own, and Padler would self-destruct.
After that, even if only a single finger remained, he would surely crawl across the ground toward Jin… but that would be no threat.
Karma Lightning began to subside.
But in the next moment, just as it had happened with Lionel, a soul began to rise from Padler’s remaining body.
Unlike Lionel, this soul was refusing to leave. It was clearly visible that he was resisting the Prophet’s control.
“I’ve never seen such a grudge in all my life, Brother Jin. Brother? Why are you approaching him? Your Spirit Sword can’t cut souls yet, can it? Besides, he isn't even worth cutting. He’s already a wreck.”
But Jin had a completely different intention than when he had tried to cut Lionel’s soul.
He was approaching Padler simply because he wanted to tell him one thing.
[Sir Padler.]
Padler swung his sword at the approaching Jin.
The strike held less power than that of a child. It didn't even leave a scratch. No matter how great his resentment, Padler’s energy was now truly depleted.
[You will be summoned again. The one who summoned you is trying to retrieve your soul for that very reason.]
Even so, Padler continued to swing his sword, resisting the Prophet’s soul retrieval with what little he had left.
[So when that time comes, do not seek revenge against the Runcandel and Temar of a thousand years ago. Instead, take your revenge on me. Do not harbor hatred for a distant past with fading memories. Direct your hatred toward me.]
That will surely be better for you…
As he finished the thought, Jin watched Padler’s soul finally depart.