Chapter 729: Beyond Destiny (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 729: Beyond Destiny (1)
The Black Sea, an unknown territory.
Cyron opened his eyes and slowly pushed himself to a sitting position.
In a space filled with nothing but toxic miasma and darkness, he could hear his eldest daughter's labored breaths as she endured her pain.
“…Father, you’ve awakened after four days this time.”
Luna spoke, having sensed Cyron’s presence.
Lately, Cyron had been losing consciousness frequently, and each time, the duration until he woke again grew longer.
For the past several decades, Cyron Runcandel had reigned as the supreme being of the human world, a symbol of a wall that could never be scaled or broken.
However, in this dark land, even this mythical figure had been reduced to a mere mortal who could die at any moment.
Until they faced the Kings of the Black Sea, Luna had never even imagined the possibility of Cyron dying in battle.
To put it simply, Cyron was faltering.
Just like countless ordinary people.
[Great One! You are awake. This Ozdok has been waiting, carefully selecting remnants of chaos that might serve as sustenance.]
“Well done, Ozdok.”
[Hup…! To receive such praise the moment you wake! This Ozdok shall continue to serve the Great One and the knights with even more sincerity!]
“Bring the remnants.”
Ozdok wiped his eyes as if truly moved and went to fetch the remnants of chaos.
Cyron needed to refine those remnants quickly and feed the knights so they could regain even a fraction of their strength.
Luna, who had been watching her father with a pained gaze, let a faint smile play on her lips.
“You seem to be in a good mood as soon as you woke up, Father. Usually, you remain silent for a while.”
At that, Cyron smirked.
At times like this, it pained Luna’s heart to realize that her father smiled more here, in this hell, than he ever did back at the family estate.
“I saw the youngest.”
“The youngest… you mean Jin!?”
“Yes. He was walking through his own inner world. Quite exhausted…”
“It must be because of Mother… no, because of the traitor who destroyed our family.”
Cyron nodded.
Ever since Rosa became the Evil God, Cyron had occasionally manifested in her dreams or inner world to observe the state of the human world. Currently, he and Luna were the only ones in the expedition who knew of Rosa’s betrayal.
He had intentionally not informed the other knights of the expedition.
It wasn’t because he didn’t trust them.
It was simply because the knights of the expedition were already in a state of hopelessness.
Due to massive exposure to chaos, these superhumans were withered in both body and mind, and some of the more severe cases had even lost the ability to speak.
There was no need to add more pain and confusion to their burden.
Therefore, Cyron only shared the news about Rosa with Luna, who had remained relatively unaffected by the exposure.
“Is the youngest alright?”
“He wouldn’t have been, had he met Rosa instead of me. But he is fine.”
“I suppose so. Then, the fact that he met you in his inner world… could it mean that he has reached the Realm of Creation?”
“No, it is not that.”
Ozdok politely placed the remnants of chaos before Cyron.
[Hehe, look at this. I gathered them very diligently…]
Energy of Creation and mana began to purify the black lumps.
Ozdok watched the scene with satisfaction before backing away at Luna’s subtle signal.
“You don’t need to worry too much.”
“Yes, Father. Ozdok has suffered quite a bit lately, and I think I was a bit cold to him just now. Ozdok deserves to hear about the family’s major affairs. His mind is the most intact among us, after all.”
“The youngest. I meant you don’t need to worry about that boy. Jin is ready to shoulder his destiny. That is far more important than reaching a realm beyond the human, like Creation.”
Luna’s eyes widened. The meaning behind Cyron’s words was that astonishing.
“Father, do you realize? This is the first time.”
“What is?”
“The way you speak, as if you truly believe in your child. You’ve never done that before, especially regarding a matter where the family’s fate is at stake. But now… you say Jin is ready.”
It wasn’t that he had no choice but to trust Jin because there were no other alternatives. It certainly wasn’t a remark born from the weakness of this grueling, desperate struggle.
Luna recognized that Cyron truly believed the youngest was filling the void he had left behind.
Cyron’s gaze fell upon Barisada.
Once they returned, he felt it would be right to pass this sword down to the youngest. If only they could return, he would do so gladly.
“Distribute the refined sustenance to the knights, Luna. We must prepare to do our part as well. We move out as soon as the meal is finished. We must cover as much distance as possible while I am awake.”
“Yes, Father.”
*
Only one day remained until the final battle.
Jin, who had returned to Tikan, no longer showed any signs of the gauntness he had previously displayed.
His eyes shone with a light that seemed impossible to tarnish, and his straight back looked as if it would never break, no matter what foe he faced.
Jin took a slow look around at the comrades and allies gathered in the conference room one last time.
“This is the final meeting. But in truth, there isn’t much for us in the temporary alliance to discuss today.”
The strategy for the final battle, accounting for every conceivable variable, had already been coordinated and agreed upon.
“Even so, the reason we gathered here in this Tikan conference room was likely because everyone wanted to confirm my condition with their own eyes. Well? Are you satisfied?”
Beyond satisfied, they were almost fearful.
Seeing him so robust—unbelievable for someone who was on the verge of death from a mental attack just a few days ago—the members of the temporary alliance felt a clear sense of dread alongside their expectations.
If what the Evil God showed the world through the mental attack was absolute terror, what Jin was proving now was an unquenchable will that could exist even within that terror.
That will was currently directed at the Evil God, but once the final battle ended, it would surely press down upon the temporary alliance once more.
“…You’ve actually become stronger than before the Evil God’s mental attack.”
Jin nodded at Veradin’s remark.
“It seems the Zipple side is satisfied. What about Kinzelo? Do you still think we should delay the final battle?”
[No. It’s fine to start immediately.]
“Good. Then…”
Jin stood up from his seat.
“Let’s step outside for a moment to meet the people.”
[Suddenly?]
“There are things I want to say to everyone before tomorrow comes.”
“Are you going to give a speech?”
“Something like that. It wasn’t planned, so you don’t have to follow if you don’t want to. As you know, I’ve been a bit busy and didn’t have time to notify you in advance. But I’d prefer it if the leaders came along. Wouldn’t it make for a better picture to show the solidarity of the temporary alliance? You can add a few words if you have something to say.”
Jin immediately walked out of the Tikan Palace.
Every single person in the conference room followed behind him.
Naturally, a crowd gathered and formed a procession.
Cheers erupted from all directions every time Jin took a step.
Jin continued to move, waving to them or offering words of thanks.
Occasionally, he chewed and swallowed some eel jerky that Dark Flame had given him.
The place where Jin stopped was the central plaza of Tikan.
The crowd ceased their cheering.
Jin had not said a word, yet tens of thousands of people held their breath simultaneously, sensing his aura.
“The skirmish with the Evil God, known as the mental attack, has ended.”
Jin skipped the pleasantries and slowly continued his speech.
“When I headed to the inner battlefield to resist the Evil God’s mental attack… I told my comrades that I might not return. Those of you who experienced the mental attack will know. All you can think is, ‘How on earth am I supposed to overcome this?’ and ‘Is there any choice but to give up?’”
The people continued to listen intently, and the members of the temporary alliance waited, gauging where the speech was headed.
“Fortunately, that skirmish ended in our victory, and I survived to have this opportunity to speak to you all. It is thanks to all of you fighting alongside me. Had I fought alone, I could never have won.”
Jin bowed his head once.
He truly believed that the desperate struggle of ordinary people had played a significant role in his survival.
Back then, while walking through his inner world, he surely would have lost his way if their prayers had not reached his ears like a guiding wind.
“Now, tomorrow, the members of the temporary alliance, myself included, will finally go to settle the score with the Evil God. To put an end to this long and terrible war, we will march upon the Evil God’s castle.”
I will surely win and return.
The allies expected such words to follow, but Jin continued with a different story.
“I want to tell you… just as I did on the day I headed to the inner battlefield. Perhaps, we may not return. The greatest powers of humanity have formed an unprecedented alliance and won several battles, but the Evil God remains an entity so strong and vast that it is an overwhelming foe.”
This was the real message Jin wanted to leave for the countless ordinary people of the world before the final battle.
“Nevertheless, we go to fight. So, even if I—if we—are defeated by the Evil God and do not return, please do not give up. Continue to fight. Resist the Evil God in whatever way you can, just as we all have for the past few days.”
Jin took a breath.
“If you do that, I believe we will all be able to return. From the land of the Evil God back to our own, from a life stained with fear and pain back to a peaceful daily life, and to a destiny we have forged ourselves by moving beyond our fated lot.”
Silence lingered for a while.
Then, as if by silent agreement, the crowd began to place their hands over their hearts, as if swearing a solemn oath to do exactly that.
Jin watched them and offered a sword salute.
“It is an honor to fight with you. Very well. I’m heading out.”