Chapter 737: Beyond Destiny (9)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 737: Beyond Destiny (9)
*
Basement Level 2
The moment Jin and the four others completed their descent, the air grew heavy and stifling.
Down on the second basement level, the energy that suppressed the generation of Aura and Mana was significantly stronger.
“It’s… even worse… than Sir Alphen… said,” Bianca remarked, her voice strained as she repeatedly formed and dispersed Aura on her greatsword. The energy she could manifest on her blade reached only about seventy percent of its usual strength.
The rest of the group was in a similar predicament.
Even Alphen, who had been entirely unaffected before his chains were broken, was no exception this time.
“My senses feel somewhat dulled as well.”
“It is not merely a feeling; they have indeed been dulled, Captain of the Wraith Squad. Though the effect is subtle,” Hedo replied.
Octavia let out a silent sigh at Hedo’s confirmation. Not only were they separated from their main force, but their individual combat strength was being compromised. It was an undeniably grim situation.
[It is certainly twice as severe as I remember.]
“Perhaps the interference has intensified because you were released from the Evil God’s control, Sir Alphen,” Jin suggested.
[The energy once used to manipulate me has been redirected, giving them more power to strengthen the Aura suppression?]
“Precisely.”
[That is a plausible theory.]
While the group had no way to confirm it, Jin’s intuition was correct. He had, however, overlooked one crucial factor: Tasha. Since Tasha had also been freed from her shackles back with the Allied Forces, it was only natural for the suppression field to become this severe.
Regardless, they had no choice but to press forward.
Once again, they were met with a vast, pitch-black expanse. The group walked in silence for a long time, as if traversing an endless desert.
After walking for what felt like an eternity, something finally appeared in the distance. The silhouettes of people were coming into view.
Five this time…
As they drew closer, the exact number became clear. Their numbers matched, a deliberate and unsettling coincidence.
[Welcome.]
The knight standing in the center spoke. Jin recognized him immediately by the twin swords hanging at his waist.
The 16th Patriarch, Leon Runcandel. The one with the greatsword must be the 29th Patriarch, Tucker Runcandel, and the one with the chain sword is likely the 35th Patriarch, Nef Runcandel.
In contrast to those three, the remaining two—who carried ordinary longswords—were unrecognizable. Had their faces been visible, Jin might have been able to match them to portraits he had seen, but their features were completely obscured by chains.
This meant there were two ancestors present whom Jin was determined to save.
“An unworthy descendant greets his ancestors,” Jin said, bowing his head toward the two chained figures. “Please, hold on a little longer. I will break your shackles shortly.”
[Do you truly believe you can save these two, just as you did that man from the 20th Generation?] Leon sneered.
“That is exactly what will happen.”
Stab—!
Suddenly, Leon’s sword slashed through the left arm of the patriarch standing beside him—one of the two bound in chains. The severed arm fell away with a dull thud, but the patriarch remained as unresponsive as a doll.
Jin’s eyes narrowed as he glared at Leon.
[The Patriarch is absolute. That has been the law since the day this family was founded. Those who defy that law, like this man or yourself, are not needed. No matter how exceptional you may be, you only muddy the waters. You are undermining the authority of the current Patriarch, Rosa Runcandel. Desist now, while you still can.]
Ching!
A streak of light shot toward Leon’s chest—a blast of sword energy from Alphen. Leon casually deflected the energy with his bare hand and turned his gaze to the former Knight of Light.
[In my youth, my heart raced as I heard the tales of my great-great-grandfather’s valor from the family’s old retainers. Seeing you today, I realize it was all a lie… Authority? What authority does a monster have after bringing the family to this state!]
[20th Generation, I heard you were called the Knight of Light and led an unprecedented war to victory. It would have been a fine sight indeed, had you only followed the Patriarch’s will while cherishing those achievements.]
[Silence! Today, I shall collect the price for my defiled memories. All of you without chains shall be extinguished.]
Jin noted that Leon made no further move against the patriarch whose arm he had severed.
He left the right arm—the sword arm—intact. Cutting the left was merely a ploy to provoke us. He has no intention of actually killing a patriarch and weakening his own forces.
That meant both chained patriarchs could still be saved.
Five against five.
The matchups were obvious. Jin had already chosen his opponent the moment Leon had cut down his ancestor.
I will face the patriarch whose arm is intact and rescue him as cleanly as possible, while Sir Alphen handles Leon.
As Jin was thinking, Bianca kept her eyes fixed on Tucker’s greatsword.
“Jin… I’ll… take… the greatsword… over there…”
“Do it. Sir Hedo, please handle the 35th Patriarch with the chain sword. Octavia, you take the ancestor who lost his left arm.”
Jin judged that among the five of them, Octavia was currently the weakest. Without her Wraith Squad or the enhancement of a Demon God Stone, she would have to take on the most disadvantaged opponent.
“However, do not kill him under any circumstances. Once the chains are broken, he will be our ally.”
“I shall try.”
“Don’t just try. Make it happen.”
Because if you don’t, I will kill you.
Jin didn’t voice the threat, but Octavia felt a sudden chill run down her spine and grit her teeth.
The matchups were set. No more words were needed. With no risk of collateral damage, they only needed to fight until one side was annihilated.
Jin signaled the start of the battle with the Runcandel 3rd Decisive Technique: Meteor Shower. Pure white streaks of sword energy tore through the dark void as they fell.
The past patriarchs scattered to evade the bombardment. Each time a meteor struck the ground, the earth shook and heavy shockwaves rippled outward.
Before the Meteor Shower even reached its midpoint, the air was filled with the family’s various Decisive Techniques. It was an inevitable clash, with six former patriarchs plus Jin all on the same battlefield.
Had this been an ordinary castle, most of its structures would have been reduced to rubble within the first minute. From a distance, their battle looked less like a fight and more like a series of clashing natural disasters.
In terms of raw power, the past patriarchs held the upper hand. This was unavoidable, given the suppression field hampering Jin’s group. Furthermore, the past patriarchs were freely utilizing not only Aura but also the Energy of Chaos.
Dark storms of Chaos energy lashed out incessantly, and only Jin's party suffered damage from them. They couldn't afford to dodge every blast if they wanted to keep their opponents fully engaged.
The group fought at full strength from the start, skipping any preliminary probing. They had to defeat their opponents as quickly as possible to support the others and turn the tide of the battle.
The 12th Flagbearer likely paired me with this one thinking his strength would be diminished by the loss of his left arm, but he clearly miscalculated.
Octavia thought as she parried the past patriarch’s blade. Even for a right-handed swordsman, being unable to use both hands was a fatal handicap. Yet her opponent was wielding his sword with a ferocity and flawlessness that surpassed all the others. The disparity in skill was obvious, even to a mage like her.
She soon realized why.
…This man isn't fighting with his own skill. It’s the swordsmanship of the controller—the Evil God—that has reached such a height. A level where the loss of an arm makes no difference. I didn't know such a thing was even possible.
Every moment, an unnervingly sharp strike lunged for her vitals. Perhaps because the Inner World had deepened, Rosa was controlling the past patriarch with even more delicacy than she had with Alphen.
Jin noticed this as well. He felt it firsthand as he traded blows with his own opponent.
I should have paired Sir Hedo with that one instead of Octavia. At this rate, it’s only a matter of time before she falls. I have to defeat this ancestor as quickly as possible and go help her.
Just as Jin reached that conclusion, Hedo’s voice rang out.
“Jin! Do not worry about the Captain of the Wraith Squad! I will support her!”
“I’ll… also… help… as much as… I can!” Bianca added.
Fortunately, a gap in strength existed between Hedo and the 35th Patriarch, as well as between Bianca and the 29th. Meanwhile, Alphen and Leon were locked in a stalemate so intense that even Jin couldn't predict the outcome.
Jin locked his gaze back onto his opponent. Beneath the chains of the Evil God, he felt as though he could see the shining eyes of a Runcandel that refused to be broken.
“Evil God, why do you persist in insulting my ancestors like this? Even if you bind them with chains and force them to move, they will all eventually turn their blades against you, just as Sir Alphen did. You may steal their bodies, but you can never corrupt their souls.”
Slash!
Blood sprayed simultaneously from the backs of Jin’s and his opponent’s hands, their swords having grazed each other in a mutual strike. Both spun to their right, firing off bursts of sword energy.
“If you cannot have their souls, you settle for their bodies? Is that how desperately you want to possess the true Runcandels?”
Whoosh…!
A faint trace of mana swirled around Bradamante, igniting a blue flame.
Eternal Fire—the flame that nothing can extinguish.
“Your claim to the Runcandel name is illegitimate. That is why you cannot move its true sons without binding them in chains. To me, the chains you use to control my ancestors are merely a manifestation of your own inadequacy and self-loathing. You pretend to be a god, but in truth, you are nothing more than a weak and hideous human.”
You can seize the family with foul power, oppress people with fear, build a massive castle, and flaunt your authority as if you could destroy the world. But no matter how hard you try to hide your true self… your essence cannot be concealed.
As Jin continued to speak, flaws began to appear in his opponent’s swordsmanship. The once-flawless technique began to crumble bit by bit.
Conversely, the fire on Jin’s sword grew deeper and more transparent. Inch by inch, the Eternal Fire drew closer to the chains.
A flawed sword could not stop that fire. It could only delay the inevitable, resisting as the divine flame drew ever nearer.
The exchange between Jin and his opponent continued until the thunderous roars filling the battlefield began to subside. Jin was so absorbed in his own fight that he had lost all track of time.
What he did know for certain was that Bradamante, now fully wreathed in Eternal Fire, had finally struck the chains binding his opponent.
Clang…!
With the sound of shattering metal, Jin looked into his opponent’s eyes. He prepared to greet the ancestor who had finally reclaimed his body.
However, the face revealed as the chains fell away was not that of an ancient Runcandel patriarch.
“Ro…sa!?”
It was the Evil God, Rosa.
The one concealed by the chains had been her all along, in her human form.