Chapter 644: Land of the Malevolent God (6)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 644: Land of the Malevolent God (6)
Though she had narrowly avoided a fatal blow, Talaris was in no condition to fight.
Her internal injuries had flared, and each ragged breath misted with blood. If not for her caliber as the warrior who had challenged Cyron more than any other, the chaotic power of Frenzy would have already torn her body asunder.
“The arch-enemies of Runcandel are attacking the Garden of Swords as we speak, yet you ignore them to come after Lady Talaris. I didn't realize your grudge against me ran so deep.”
The Chaos that had been protecting the Garden of Swords, Kalon, and Ram had weakened, converging entirely on Rosa. In other words, all of that power was now hers alone.
The massive aura of Chaos radiating from her reminded Jin of the nightmare that was the Sword Emperor Holy War.
Rosa narrowed her eyes, a flicker of amusement in her gaze.
[Would you not have done the same?]
Rosa Runcandel will surely try to deal with Lady Talaris before me.
The thought had struck him the moment he first sensed Talaris’s faint chill. In hindsight, there was no logical reason for his certainty. From Rosa’s perspective, it was objectively more efficient to continue overwhelming the massive forces of Zipple and Kinzelo rather than focusing on a single person.
Now that the Chaos surrounding Ram and the city had thinned, the bombardments from the various factions pierced the skies above the Garden of Swords with greater ease.
When Jin didn't answer, Rosa smiled.
[You hate to admit it, but you and I are quite alike.]
Twang—!
An explosive sound erupted from the Great Bow God-Slayer.
Rosa casually deflected Kaio’s arrow. Even with his strength sapped from providing long-range support, it was a shot so powerful that even an uninjured Jin could not have intercepted it so easily.
“Alike? Don't equate me, the 13th Fighting King of the Pluto Tribe, with a monster like you.”
[The Pluto Tribe… This is my first time seeing one in person. The first impression is quite disappointing. To think you would provoke me just to save that boy… The Pluto Sword my youngest often showed me never felt this pathetic.]
“Does the power you gained through depravity make you so arrogant?”
[Depravity… I have never concerned myself with such ambiguous human standards. Not even before this body became Chaos.]
Sssshing—!
Suddenly, a blade of black energy grazed Kaio’s back. Had his reaction been a moment slower, his body would have been split in two.
Rosa hadn't moved. A blade of Chaos, formed at her feet and bound to her will, had struck Kaio. Before anyone realized it, dozens of such swords had manifested. The pillars of light from the God-Slayer were ruthlessly hacked apart, leaving only glowing remnants.
Even before those remnants could fade, the black blades swirled into a vortex, targeting Jin, Kaio, and Talaris.
“Brother Jin! Don't worry about me, save our comrade!” Kaio shouted, firing a barrage of Mountain Arrows to push back the swords of Chaos.
Jin didn't have the luxury to respond. The ice shields deployed by Talaris and Mort were collapsing far too quickly. Meanwhile, the number of Rosa’s blades multiplied with every blink. A hundred, two hundred, three hundred…
The moment Jin lunged toward Talaris, Rosa finally moved.
[The value of our family lies not in depravity or atrocity, but in the Path of the Overlord. That's what you often said. You even said it just a moment ago. I've pondered that from time to time. No matter how I think on it, I cannot see the difference.]
Blocked by Frenzy, Jin took a step back.
[Runcandel has killed countless people to this day, and we have reveled in conquest and pillage. To someone, that too must be depravity. What is your standard?]
Jin answered without hesitation.
“I am a human, born to a clan of swordsmen and the rightful successor to a magic sword—not a plaything of Chaos. It's as simple as that.”
[A pleasant answer.]
Jin parried Frenzy as he retreated another step.
The power he felt from Rosa in that single exchange clearly surpassed his own. It would have been the same even if he hadn't accumulated fatigue and injuries from the preceding battles. Worse, he could feel an energy burrowing into his flesh through their clashing blades.
Like a poison, the Chaos is seeping into my body…!
Chaos—the dark power that plunged humans into demonic madness.
Rosa was a massive entity of Chaos—the most potent source of infection. Ordinary warriors would be consumed by Chaos just from standing near her. Jin was certain that even 9-star warriors couldn't endure it, and that direct combat would be impossible for any length of time, even for superhumans.
No, it wasn't just a feeling; it was a certainty.
He felt his Blood of the Fighting God and his Heart of Light thumping wildly, pushing back the Chaos flowing from Rosa.
This didn't happen when we first faced each other at the Garden of Swords… Did she accept more from the Prophet after our discussion broke down? Or was she hiding this power all along?
Whichever it was, the implication of Rosa’s infectiousness was clear. Currently, the only human in the world capable of fighting Rosa was Jin.
[Ilina’s words were true. The Pluto Tribe is immune to Chaos energy. In that case, you too have transcended humanity.]
“You seem intent on putting us on the same level. Why? Do you want the false comfort of knowing you aren't the only one who crossed the line?”
[You'll understand once you have a child of your own—a satisfying one. You'll see what a great pleasure it is when that child resembles you. For me, it's as simple as that.]
“You've completely lost your mind. And I'd prefer you didn't lump us together, considering you're the one who succumbed to Chaos.”
[I wonder. If that were the case, Runcandel would have met its end before you arrived. It seems you continue to misunderstand your mother on that point.]
Madness, or perhaps a demonic nature.
Though he called her crazy, Rosa was different from Ron just before he defied fate, or Smarion of Ghost Song Castle. Normally, anyone who accepted this much Chaos should have lost their reason long ago, but Jin sensed no such sign from her.
On the contrary, Rosa seemed more like a ‘living person’ than ever before. In Jin’s memory, the Acting Patriarch had almost never shown emotion—especially not feelings like joy or satisfaction.
The current Rosa looked truly happy. She also looked sad—at the fact that she had to kill her beloved child with her own hands.
Jin’s gaze shifted behind Rosa. He saw Talaris and Mort barely holding on amidst the blades of Chaos.
[Do you wish to save the Palace Master? I suppose you have always regarded her as more of a mother than me.]
The tip of Frenzy lunged for Jin’s chest. He managed to parry it upward with Bradamante, but the force threw him off balance and sent him flying backward.
[I find myself feeling quite jealous…]
With that, Rosa ignored Jin's attempt to block a follow-up attack and turned toward Talaris.
For a moment, Rosa's thoughts swirled around Talaris. In hindsight, she had always been jealous of the Palace Master, not just in this moment. Cyron had always been closer to Talaris than to his own wife.
[I wonder how it would feel to take the Palace Master’s life with the same technique your eldest sister used to save you. Would that wound you, even a little?]
Meteor Shower.
The 3rd Decisive Technique of Runcandel, and the very technique the sibling who first saved Jin had used. Frenzy, held high, was calling forth black meteors.
A power surpassing Luna’s Heart Sword: Red Moon, which had erased an entire island that day, shook the entire battlefield before it even struck the ground.
However, the black meteors remained tethered to the sky, unable to pour down. They were caught as if in a noose.
Spirit Sword Supreme Technique 1st Form:
First Night.
Sensory deprivation—the first omen of the Spirit Sword Supreme Technique.
In an instant, Rosa’s vision was cut off.
But before even three seconds had passed, Rosa regained all her lost senses and began to control the Meteor Shower once more. The spirit energy of First Night holding the meteors back was being disrupted.
A struggle for dominance began between Jin and Rosa. The spirit energy of First Night and the Chaos of Meteor Shower pushed against each other.
[Is this the greatest sword you have completed thus far?]
The thousand or so black blades that had been swarming across the battlefield stopped moving. This was the result of Rosa focusing entirely on the Meteor Shower.
Thanks to that, Kaio, Talaris, and Mort were able to catch their breath. They could not move, however. The frozen blades blocked them like the bars of a prison. Kaio had enough strength left to attempt breaking through, but Talaris did not.
Mort tried a short-range dimensional shift, but he was exhausted, and the Chaos energy blocking the gate to the Myriad Ice Fields was too thick.
Time on the battlefield seemed to have stopped. The Meteor Shower and First Night were moving so minutely that one had to look closely to notice.
Jin’s supreme technique was being pushed back. The veils of spirit energy were being silently torn apart by the Meteor Shower.
Rosa shook her head as if disappointed.
[A truly… magnificent sword.]
Her disappointment wasn't because Jin’s supreme technique was laughable. Contrary to outward appearances, Rosa knew that her Meteor Shower was being perfectly countered by First Night. She was disappointed that she would not be able to kill Talaris with this specific strike.
Kreeeeeek—!
As soon as Rosa finished speaking, the Meteor Shower was absorbed into First Night and vanished.
Blood poured from every orifice on Jin’s face. Rosa, too, seemed to falter, as if she had taken some damage.
But that was all. Rosa could immediately unleash her next attack to finish Talaris. Jin, on the other hand, had very little strength left.
Even so, he threw himself forward.
If I use my last remaining strength to unleash Pluto's Sovereign Sword again…!
And then what?
He couldn't think that far ahead. Only a single-minded determination filled his heart: he must not let Talaris die. In that moment, his heart completely overrode his reason.
Talaris was that important to Jin. A comrade always meant that much to him.
At that exact moment, Kaio shattered the blades of Chaos and charged forward with Jin. Talaris tried to scream—to tell them not to come, to run away and survive.
She had faced Rosa’s sword before Jin arrived. That was why she knew he was the only one who could stand against her. If Jin died here trying to save her, the world would have no one left to oppose Rosa.
But before Talaris could voice those words, Jin realized he didn't need to risk his life to save her.
Not at this moment.
Above Talaris’s head, a dragon was descending.
A black light was falling like salvation.
[Long time no see, kid.]
The Black Dragon, Murakan.
He was Jin’s guardian dragon.