Chapter 741: Beyond Destiny (13)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 741: Beyond Destiny (13)
A single beast engulfed in Eternal Fire on the floor above had already spread the flames to dozens of other black panthers.
‘The Eternal Fire… it isn’t moving as I intend!’
—[You’ve reached the realm Sarah yearned for, yet you can’t control your own fire? That’s impossible. Cut them quickly. Just a light graze, barely a scratch!]
Those were the words Vail had spoken after discovering his Eternal Fire.
By its very nature, the Eternal Fire was a flame that should have moved according to Jin’s will. If he wished for it to burn, it would blaze until the end of time; if he wished for it to fade, it would vanish in an instant.
However, starting with the very first black panther, the Eternal Fire was already defying those laws. A blaze far more massive than Jin had intended roared to life.
It wasn't that the fire was ignoring his will entirely, but he lacked the perfect control he usually possessed. For every flame he managed to extinguish with a command, far more spread indiscriminately.
‘Did he prepare for this after seeing Brother Dipus fall to the Eternal Fire…?!’
Jin was exactly right. The Evil God was exploiting the "never-extinguishing" nature of the Eternal Fire and turning it against its master.
The Evil God didn't know the precise extent of Jin’s control, but he was certain it wasn't infinite. His plan was to apply pressure, using the chaos of battle and Jin’s own resentment as a catalyst to make the fire multiply—and it was working perfectly.
Even Jin himself hadn't realized how deep and vast his resentment toward the Evil God truly was. That very hatred was causing the Eternal Fire to burn even more fiercely. As his rage continued to grow, he found himself unable to stop the flames from spreading so wildly.
Furthermore, the horrific sight of the young Rosa disappearing just moments ago had only served to stoke his fury.
[Graaaagh!]
[Kieeeek…!]
Every time the black panthers screamed, chunks of the ground melted away.
The group had barely done anything since arriving on the third basement floor, yet they were already isolated as their surroundings liquefied into molten slag. Ahead of them, they saw several panthers fall through to the next level. Those creatures would surely continue to melt the lower floors as they burned.
‘If we keep falling like this, will the Evil God be at the very bottom?’
They had no other choice. They couldn't stop the fire's growth, nor could they climb back up. The group had no option but to continue their descent, just as before.
Jin briefly explained the situation to his companions—that the Eternal Fire was out of his control and his theory as to why.
“…I shouldn't have used the Eternal Fire. For now, we have no choice but to keep descending while holding on to each other. He played me perfectly.”
“Don’t blame yourself; it couldn't be helped,” Hedo said. “Besides, I suspect that even if you hadn't used the Eternal Fire, those black panthers would have pressured us endlessly in some other way. The Evil God likely designed them to regenerate until you were forced to use it.”
[I have witnessed a truly magnificent sword,] Alphen’s voice cut in. [Had you been in my era, the Holy Kingdom Defense War would have been much easier. However, 12th Flagbearer, I find the Evil God’s scheme a bit strange.]
“What do you mean?”
[The Evil God’s soul energy is not infinite. Having been trapped inside him, I know this for certain. How much soul energy do you think it takes to create one of those black panthers? I don’t know the exact amount, but it must be substantial. He is essentially burning through hundreds, if not thousands, of them.]
Just as the amount of Eternal Fire Jin could control was limited, the soul energy the Evil God could wield was also finite.
[So, I wonder if perhaps the Evil God is using the Eternal Fire to put us in this predicament while simultaneously… testing himself. To see if he can handle the Eternal Fire once it has grown to its absolute limit.]
“Why would the Evil God… do such a thing… cough.”
Hearing Octavia’s weak protest, Hedo shook his head.
“Considering his obsession with Jin, he seems exactly like the type of man who would do that, Ghost Captain. Even if it isn't a test for himself, he might simply want to observe Jin’s sword up close.”
“I… think so… too,” Bianca added.
“Everyone, hold on tight. The ground is giving way.”
By then, the entire third basement floor had completely melted. The last of the black panthers had already vanished into the chasm below.
As Jin and his companions began to fall once more, a thick sense of dread filled his heart. It wasn't the fight with the Evil God that he feared.
‘What if this Eternal Fire keeps multiplying… and ends up harming my allies?’
The people currently with him weren't the immediate problem. They were few in number, and each was a transcendent master.
But it was a completely different story if the multiplying Eternal Fire were to sweep over the main allied forces, who were wandering somewhere else within this labyrinth.
‘Vail said that not even Orgal would be able to extinguish the Eternal Fire at will. The moment the fire hits our allies at this rate, catastrophic damage will be unavoidable.’
Such thoughts plagued Jin’s mind throughout the descent. The feeling that the Evil God had anticipated even this was like a thorn stuck in his throat. He couldn't shake the sensation of being a puppet dancing in the palm of the Evil God’s hand.
This fight was different from any other. Since his regression, he had defeated countless enemies, but he had never been shaken quite like this.
Unlike before, the descent didn't end quickly. It seemed the black panthers were melting the floors below them faster than the group was falling, carving out an ever-deepening abyss.
As the fall dragged on, they felt their Aura and Mana organs becoming increasingly constricted. For the heavily injured, the sensation was doubly oppressive.
Eventually, Octavia was the first to lose consciousness. Hedo and Alphen’s breathing became noticeably labored, and even Bianca, who had taken the least damage, let out long sighs to steady herself.
Even in such a state, these masters never loosened their grip on one another.
Jin kept thinking. How could he protect his allies?
Among those scattered forces were the people he held dearer than anything else. Perhaps the labyrinth of the Evil God’s castle had already diverted the Eternal Fire toward them.
Every time he imagined them burning to death in his own fire, goosebumps broke out across his skin. It was as if someone were projecting those images directly into his mind; no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop them.
‘Can I protect them all? Can we all return alive? I’m falling helplessly into a trap before the real battle with the Evil God has even begun.’
Dark thoughts have a way of spiraling. The more difficult the situation and the more there is to fear, the worse they become.
[12th Flagbearer… what are you doing?]
Alphen suddenly spoke, his voice drifting from the edge of consciousness.
“Sir Alphen?”
[Grip my hand… tighter. You cannot have less strength than a weary old man like me.]
That single sentence from Alphen gave Jin the answer.
‘I am not protecting them alone.’
They were protecting each other. It was a realization he had already come to once before, during the skirmishes in the Inner World. In the urgency of the moment, he had simply forgotten.
‘I am glad someone like you, Ancestor, is still with us.’
Once again, his mind cleared instantly. Every time his turbulent thoughts were settled like this, Jin felt as though he were taking another step out from under the Evil God’s design.
‘Valeria is with the main force.’
With her Record Magic, she would be the first to sense the danger of the Eternal Fire. The same went for Veradin, who had recently learned pseudo-Record Magic. Beings like Orgal and Vail could also minimize the damage to their allies.
Dante could use his Invisible Sword winds to keep the approaching fire at bay. Quicantel could use her authority to buy time. Siris’s Ten Thousand Ice could seal the flames.
And even if nothing could stop the Eternal Fire…
His allies, his comrades, would do everything in their power to escape it. Not just to survive, but because they didn't want Jin to be hurt. They didn't want him to fall into the sorrow of having killed his own friends.
They would run with that conviction in their hearts. This was a fight that could never be won without trusting his comrades and himself.
Even if it was only temporary, he had to trust his allies today. This was the area where Jin was most lacking. Until just before this final battle, he had been engaged in a psychological war with them over the conflict that would follow the Evil God’s death.
Even if they returned to being enemies who had to destroy one another tomorrow, today he had to fight alongside them, truly trusting them to watch his back.
Jin’s expression, which had been distorted by internal agony without him even realizing it, gradually returned to its usual calm.
The fall finally came to an end.
As Jin landed, kicking up a gust of sword wind, the first thing he saw was a land engulfed in hazy fire. Black panthers were still burning everywhere, though in much smaller numbers than on the third basement floor. He couldn't tell if the rest had been turned to ash or had fallen into another part of the labyrinth.
The floor was no longer melting. This meant that after their long fall, they had finally reached the lowest level of the Evil God’s castle.
‘…This isn't the center of the bottom floor. The flames grow larger in that direction.’
Jin looked toward where the Eternal Fire was intensifying.
Hedo carried the unconscious Octavia on his back, while Bianca supported the weary Alphen. As Jin began to walk, the Eternal Fire parted to both sides, forming a path. It felt as if the flames themselves were speaking to him, showing him the way.
Jin walked forward through his own fire.
The blaze grew more intense the further he walked; he couldn't even guess how much of the area the Eternal Fire had consumed. From far off, he could sense faint traces of Aura, Mana, and the golden energy of authority.
His comrades had reached the bottom floor slightly ahead of him.
Yet, Jin did not grow anxious. He did not believe his comrades would have died to the Eternal Fire. Still, he quickened his pace. The flames swayed wildly like a field of barley in the wind, and a moment later, Jin came face-to-face with the allied forces, surrounded by a sea of fire.
A massive wave of Eternal Fire, like a tsunami, was cornering them. Pitch-black soul energy was mixed within the flames, but as Jin drew closer, that energy retreated toward the fire on the opposite side.
Jin instinctively knew: the Evil God was over there—behind that wall of black fire where the soul energy was gathering.
Finally, as Jin parted the wall of fire before him, his comrades were revealed, struggling to push back the encroaching flames from within. Thinking that more soul energy was invading through the opening, they immediately took up combat stances, but let out collective sighs of relief upon seeing it was Jin.
Quite a few of them collapsed to the ground, as if they had only been standing by sheer force of will.
[Is that you, Jin Runcandel?]
It was Orgal’s voice. He was battered, barely maintaining a fractured shield, in such a desperate state that he couldn't even afford to turn and look.
If Jin had been just a little later, if he had regained his composure just a moment slower… the vortex of Eternal Fire trapping his comrades would have crushed them all like insects in a closed fist.
“Yes, it’s the 12th Flagbearer, Jin Runcandel. I’m rejoining the fight.”