Chapter 731: Beyond Destiny (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 731: Beyond Destiny (3)
Jin Runcandel descended.
Every ally on the battlefield stared up at the glowing red letters that had announced his arrival. Even the Chaos Dragons and the Black Ships seemed to freeze for a moment.
On this battlefield, the name ‘Jin Runcandel’ carried immense weight—for ally and enemy alike.
The army of Chaos consisted of the Evil God’s creations; to them, Rosa was their mother.
However, that mother’s attention and affection were directed solely toward one person: Jin Runcandel.
The creatures of Chaos were painfully aware that they were nothing compared to Jin. This was because they could read Rosa’s inner thoughts.
They knew the target of her will, her heart, and her resolve. They knew the one thing she desired, and they knew what lay at the end of her unconditional love and hatred.
The creatures of Chaos harbored a twisted inferiority complex toward Jin.
As Rosa approached her completion, her creations could perceive her inner self more clearly. Now, their massive animosity toward Jin was reaching its breaking point.
[Jiiin… Run… caaan… del!]
A Chaos Dragon shrieked in a clumsy, malice-filled voice and charged at Jin. The swarms following it also pounced on the descending warrior.
“So you can speak,” Jin remarked dryly.
For a split second, Jin vanished, obscured by the mass of Chaos Dragons.
Swish—!
Bradamante carved a semicircle through the air. Before the afterimage of the arc could even fade, the Chaos Dragons that had swarmed Jin were either pierced through or torn to shreds, their remains scattering into the wind.
In a mere heartbeat, twenty Chaos Dragons had perished.
Jin was unaffected by the force field.
It wasn't because he was a being born from Rosa, like the creatures of Chaos. Rather, the Spirit Energy Veil wrapped around him like a cloak was neutralizing the field’s gravitational pull.
“How unfitting.”
Without halting his descent, Jin scattered ice-attribute mana into the air to form a path. Shining ice crystals, like a trail of stardust, spread beneath his feet as he ran down the path he created toward the force field.
Spirit Sword 1st Form: Soul Slash.
A single human swung his sword against the massive force field. No matter how sharp his blade was, considering the sheer scale of the barrier, a small crack should have been the best he could hope for.
Yet, Jin’s descending blade showed no sign of stopping. Matching the speed of his own gravitational fall, the blade cleaved the force field in two.
“Cover Jin!”
“Cover the 12th Flagbearer!”
Covering fire wasn't necessary. The breath of Chaos Dragons and the main cannons of the Black Ships swarmed Jin like hornets, but none could penetrate the vast Spirit Energy Veil.
Jin paid them no mind, focusing entirely on rending the force field.
By the time Jin finally touched down on the ground, everyone witnessing the state of the force field could only think of one phrase.
Bisected with a single blow.
Even the superhumans were momentarily speechless at the sight of the massive sword scar carved straight through the center of the field.
This was the very force field that, until moments ago, had confounded numerous fleets, dragons, the finest elites of every faction, and all the heroes of the human world.
It had been torn in half by a single strike.
Of course, the force field had not vanished. Perhaps because it had been ruptured, the merciless gravitational pull had weakened somewhat, but the crack was still too narrow for the fleets and dragons to enter.
Therefore, his comrades and allies still had work to do.
“Lord Hedo! Vail!”
At Jin’s call, which rang out across the entire battlefield, the two men immediately landed beside him.
“You two, open the rift. I’ll handle the skies in the meantime.”
Anyone else would have failed to understand his words. He was telling them to pry open the rift in the force field as if it were a door.
However, Hedo and Vail immediately stood on either side of the crack and grabbed its edges with both hands. It was a feat one couldn't even dream of attempting without their level of monstrous strength.
“Hrrgh…!”
[Graaaah!]
Creeeak—! Screeeech…!
As Hedo and Vail began to pull the rift apart with all their might, the gap in the force field slowly started to widen.
Jin swapped his weapon. As the Sealed Lightning Sword Sigmund left its scabbard, a deep blue light coalesced within his Heart of Light.
Simultaneously, hundreds of lightning bolts rained down upon the battlefield.
These bolts were not striking the army of Chaos, but rather the allied fleets and dragons. This was because the sword was forged for protection, not annihilation.
Brotherhood Guardian, Pluto Sword 4th Fighting King Ultimate Technique.
However, even for Jin, it was impossible to perfectly protect such a vast army. Spreading the lightning energy over such a wide area meant some gaps were inevitable.
‘If I could perfectly achieve Fighting God Union, it might be possible… but for now, this is enough.’
The lightning shields of Brotherhood Guardian were merely a device to make friend-or-foe identification easier. The true protection was a role that still fell to Orgal.
Giaaaaa…!
Another god, in the form of a blazing bird, revealed its blue, divine body and roared.
Tess, Jin’s phoenix, had just been summoned and glared at the enemies with wide eyes. Chaos Dragons rushed in to tear at his body, but Tess did not allow their maws to touch him.
The Chaos Dragons simply burned away helplessly, like moths drawn to a flame.
Even then, only the relatively strong among them managed to burn up near Tess. The weaker ones couldn't even attempt an attack; their wing membranes melted before they could get close, sending them plummeting to the ground.
The allies finally had some breathing room. The engine power of the fleet, which had been used just to resist the force field, was redirected to the main cannons, and the superhumans resumed their offensive stances.
Only a few minutes had passed since the Seal of Fire had appeared in the sky.
In that short time, Jin had completely turned the tide of battle.
The power of one man was pushing back the anxiety that had begun to take root within his allies.
The number of Chaos Dragons and Black Ships that had been swarming them endlessly decreased significantly. The fleet was now using the force field’s attraction like a tailwind to slowly advance.
“Kwooooh!”
[Ughhhhh!]
The results of Hedo and Vail’s monstrous strength were becoming more apparent.
The straight rift Jin had created had now widened into an oval. The force field was no longer flat; it was hideously distorted around the gap, with spirit energy filling the warped sections.
“You’ve worked hard. Lord Hedo, please step back now.”
Jin spoke as he swapped his sword once more.
He swung Bradamante twice diagonally toward the center of the rift. Like bursting capillaries, the spirit energy gathered in the force field began to explode.
Cr-shatter—!
One side of the force field collapsed like breaking glass.
The allies aboard the ships burst into instinctive cheers.
Though they were only a ‘temporary’ alliance, today, everyone was truly relying on and believing in Jin.
[We did all the hard work, and you’re the one who gets to look cool!]
“If that feels unfair, you should make a contract with Solderet, Vail. And give that sword back to me.”
[Just try touching my Shakan, I dare you.]
Though much of the field remained, Veradin had anticipated this. The moment Jin landed, he had already begun concentrating the fleet toward the breach.
“Advance!”
The fleet began to surge past the force field. Chaos Dragons and Black Ships no longer emerged from the lower sections of the Ship Ram.
As they drew closer, the Evil God’s castle exuded a gruesome pressure. Their altitude had dropped so much that the allies in the fleet could no longer even see the sky behind the fortress.
The war had only just passed its starting point.
The role of the Chaos Dragons and Black Ships in the Evil God’s army wasn't particularly large. They were sufficient for massacring those at the 7-star level or below, but against an army possessing superhumans and figures like Jin, their limits were clear.
Without the Evil God’s monstrous force field, they wouldn't have even posed a real threat.
The real dangers were the sword ghosts tainted by Chaos, the ancient heroes of the Mausoleum who commanded them, the countless variables existing within the castle, and the Evil God herself.
The unstable factor of the Ram also persisted.
For now, it seemed Lin had stopped the Ram as promised, but it could be reactivated at any moment.
‘There’s no way Rosa will remain unaware of Lord Lin’s betrayal forever. We must get as many of our forces as possible into the castle before the Ram is reactivated. Lord Lin’s sacrifice must not be in vain.’
Just as Jin reached that thought, the battlefield began to vibrate. A tremor shook the earth, as if some gargantuan monster was awakening from deep underground.
The gates of the Evil God’s castle were beginning to open.
The gates, as massive as the deep sea, harbored a darkness just as profound.
“All fleets, charge main cannons to maximum output. Fire immediately!”
Veradin instantly ordered the bombardment, ensuring the allies wouldn't be overwhelmed by the darkness for even a moment.
Jin thought Veradin had made the right call. The darkness within the castle gates certainly possessed a magical power that inspired fear just by looking at it.
Furthermore, there was no reason to wait for the enemy to appear.
Kwaaaaa…!
Hundreds of shells were fired into the hollow darkness. Against a human fortress, this was enough firepower to erase not just the gate, but the entire castle without a trace.
However, the bombardment was no different from pebbles falling into a well.
Despite the continuous shelling, not even a distant explosion could be heard from within the castle. The attacks were simply being swallowed up.
“Cease fire!”
There was no reason to waste mana on useless attacks.
Veradin stopped the bombardment immediately, but it was undeniable that it had backfired. The fact that the fleet’s maximum volley was no different from pebbles in a well weighed heavily on them.
As in any war, morale played a crucial role in this fight. It was even more so here, where the Evil God’s authority oppressed their spirits just by being on the same battlefield.
Veradin was forced to deliberate on his next command, and a few seconds of silence passed.
Then, Jin took a breath and let out a shout, unleashing a barrage of sword energy.
He didn't fire at the open gates, but randomly at the castle walls.
Fortunately, unlike the bombardment that had vanished into the gates, the walls showed signs of taking physical damage. The roar of exploding stone and the metallic screech of rupturing structures spread as the walls cracked.
“There is no castle in this world that cannot be destroyed. Today, that fortress will vanish without a trace. So, allies, stay calm! Strike the walls and prepare for battle! The enemy will come pouring out of that castle soon.”
Jin spoke as he gripped his sword, feeling a gloomy energy writhing inside the gates, ready to explode.
“And they, too, shall all die by our hands today.”