Chapter 743: Beyond Destiny (15)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 743: Beyond Destiny (15)
* * *
“It looks like Jin broke the sphere!”
“We have a feed from Laprarosa! Location is estimated to be the Fighting God Temple. Is that the Fighting God?!”
“Yes, that’s her. A woman, much smaller than the other Pluto Tribe members. She matches the description Jin gave us perfectly. Judging by her lip movements and the glow from her Heart of Light, the Fighting God Union was a success!”
They were on a remote island in Huphester.
This was the same deserted island where Jin had first accidentally experienced a ‘connection’ with Ling Ling while escaping the Garden of Swords after his first major assault.
From the moment Jin shattered the sphere in the Evil God’s castle, the members of the Gold Snow Tribe waiting here had been shouting in excitement.
“I know you’re all happy it worked, but keep your voices down. You’re distracting our Catfolk friends,” Top said, placing an index finger to his lips.
The only reason the Gold Snow Tribe could see the events in Laprarosa was thanks to the Catfolk’s unique dimensional abilities, combined with machinery developed by Quaul and Valeria. Beside the screen, several Catfolk were chanting incantations with their eyes rolled back into their heads.
“Top is actually making sense for once,” Quaul said, sitting before a machine that resembled a massive pipe organ. “Everyone, stay focused and watch the feed closely. Inform me immediately if any problems arise. I have to calibrate this now.”
The footage of Laprarosa they were watching was being transmitted from the other end of that very machine.
As Quaul pressed the key-like buttons, the transmitted image grew clearer. Conversely, if he missed a key or made a miscalculation, the image would blur.
The clearer the image, the higher the synchronization rate between Jin and Laprarosa; the blurrier it became, the lower it dropped.
The ‘Wavelength Tracking Synchronization Device.’
That was the formal name for the red sphere Jin had broken and the organ-like machine. As its name suggested, the device was built upon the technology used in spacetime devices and the Red Owl. Furthermore, data analyzed from the ‘large-scale teleportation via Chaos’ during the previous invasion of Ricalton had played the most significant role in its creation.
Tikan’s ultimate goal for this device was, of course, to bring the Pluto Tribe of Laprarosa into the Human World.
For now, they were limited to synchronizing Jin with Laprarosa, and even that was only possible by installing the device on this deserted island. Still, it was proving to be an invaluable asset for the final battle.
Beads of sweat rolled down Quaul’s forehead as he manipulated the keys. While the adjustments were difficult, he was also flustered by an unexpected variable.
The synchronization rate… it’s far higher than our experimental values! Why? Is there some variable within the space of the Evil God’s castle?
A high synchronization rate meant that the Fighting God Union between Jin and Ban was performing exceptionally well, but it also increased the probability of side effects. Just as Valeria had feared, the device’s stability was deteriorating.
The machine was growing hot, as if it were about to catch fire.
For now, I just have to calibrate it as best as I can… and hope the machine holds out until Jin finishes the fight!
Quaul gritted his teeth and hammered at the keys. The image grew clearer and clearer.
* * *
Jin’s entire body was dyed blue.
Though he was merely standing still, the lightning energy radiating from him distorted the very air. His usual calm and cold demeanor was gone, replaced by a destructive aura that promised to annihilate his enemies without a shred of mercy.
Is that… the Fighting God Union?
Just like when the Young Master used the Demon God Stone, he’s like a completely different person…
His allies watched Jin’s back, their thoughts racing. The Barmul Alliance had already shared what information they had on the Fighting God Union with their temporary allies before the final battle.
The Evil God’s lips twitched as she felt the radical shift in Jin’s energy.
Every time something unexpected happened while facing Jin, she felt a sort of euphoria. In the Evil God’s world, which could not be more tedious or desolate, her confrontation with Jin was the only pleasure she had left.
Clang!
With a sharp, air-rending sound, Jin vanished from sight.
He moved so fast that even the Evil God lost track of him for a moment. Before anyone knew it, he was above her head, swinging Sigmund downward.
Tactics like interfering with aura generation via soul energy or disturbing one’s inner self with mental attacks were useless against a Fighting God. Jin was currently performing the Fighting God Union at a higher synchronization rate than ever before.
A single sword fell like a thunderbolt.
Simultaneously, the hundreds of arms attached to the Evil God’s torso swung their weapons. Swords larger than the pillars of a citadel moved with a swiftness that defied their mass.
However, the moment they touched Sigmund, they shattered like glass. Even hundreds of blades capable of crushing a great mountain were no match for the sword of a Fighting God.
Slaaaash!
The Evil God’s chest split open vertically. Black soul energy poured out like blood, soaking the floor. But before his feet even touched the wet ground, Jin twisted in mid-air and unleashed a horizontal strike.
Her body now carved into a cross, the Evil God retreated, exhaling a breath of soul energy.
The foul energy invaded Jin’s lungs with every breath, but his Fighting God’s blood and Heart of Light left no room for it to accumulate.
[I am so happy…!]
The Evil God spat out a blood-like mass of soul energy and let out a manic laugh. The shattered swords reformed, and her cross-shaped wound healed in an instant.
Jin didn’t bother to chase her as she widened the distance.
Instead, he unleashed the Pluto Sword Basic Form: Oppression.
As the lightning energy condensed in Sigmund began to generate a gravitational pull, the entire space around the Evil God vibrated as if it were about to collapse. Then, her massive body was dragged toward Jin.
It was a bizarre sight.
All of the Evil God’s swords were being sucked toward the blade of the stationary Jin. The layered weapons tangled and shattered against one another, while Sigmund’s radiance only grew more intense.
Lightning energy flowed through the broken fragments, distorting the Evil God’s body. It looked as if some giant, unseen hand were grabbing and tearing her flesh apart.
The Evil God, who had endured even the immense Eternal Fire, was being cut and blasted apart every second.
[Is that so? We’ll see if you can still claim to be happy the moment that disgraceful life of yours is completely extinguished.]
A being at the pinnacle of Creation, perhaps the greatest in all of history.
Having become one with the Fighting God Ban, Jin was overwhelming the Evil God in an instant.
(Brother Jin, how long can you maintain our connection?)
The developer of the device said it would be roughly an hour, but it will certainly be shorter than that. My synchronization rate with you is much higher than he calculated. The time the device can endure will naturally shorten accordingly.
(Furthermore, the synchronization rate is still rising. This Fighting God Union is even clearer than when you were in Laprarosa.)
The Evil God had not yet revealed her full power. Even with Ban’s senses, it was difficult to gauge the total amount of power she possessed.
But there was no time for a battle of attrition. They had to inflict as much damage as possible while the Fighting God Union was maintained.
(First, let’s break her until she can no longer regenerate.)
The gravitational pull of Oppression began to surge.
Now, the Evil God’s entire body was twisting as if it were about to be absorbed into Sigmund’s blade. This was on a completely different dimension from the Oppression Jin had used before. The original technique was meant merely to restrict an opponent’s movement; Ban’s Oppression possessed the monstrous strength to seize and crush the opponent itself.
[This, too, is a shocking sword, but is it not insufficient to kill me? Physical damage lost its meaning to me long ago.]
Soul energy erupted like brain fluid from the hollow eye sockets of her distorted face.
The discharged soul energy flowed across the floor like a torrent, heading toward the allies behind Jin. Needless to say, at this concentration, anyone without Jin’s resistance would suffer immediate and severe contamination from the slightest touch.
Fortunately, most of it evaporated into Jin’s lightning. The soul energy that slipped past was unable to penetrate the combined secret techniques of the superhumans and the bombardment from the fleet.
However, with every gout of soul energy she poured out, the Evil God was growing even more bloated.
Her form wasn't suited for combat to begin with; it was merely intimidating. Growing even larger won't help her against me and Brother Ban. In that case…
A few seconds later, Jin realized what the Evil God was thinking.
Brother Ban, it’s a self-destruction.
(She intends to blow herself up.)
Jin and Ban came to the same conclusion simultaneously.
As the Evil God’s body grew, the battlefield was shrinking. All the soul energy composing the castle was being returned to her.
Of course, it wasn’t a self-destruction in the true sense of the word.
The Evil God planned to detonate her infinitely bloated body to infect everyone present with Chaos.
The only one who could survive such an explosion was Jin, the one person with immunity.
[…Hehe, isn’t it about time for the extras to disappear? So that nothing interferes with the fight between you and me. But still, I find myself looking forward to this.]
The Evil God spoke with a voice full of delight.
[I intend to infect and kill everyone who followed you with Chaos. How many of them will you be able to save?]
Immediately after she spoke, the ceiling vanished. The sky that abruptly opened was entirely black, but Jin and his allies soon realized why.
It wasn’t the sky; it was the underside of the ship Ram. The main cannon of the Ram, protruding like a monstrosity, opened its maw and aimed at the ground.
“That—that is…”
“Hurry, the shields…!”
In the narrowed battlefield, there was no space to dodge the Ram’s main cannon.
And those who had experienced the first full-scale assault knew all too well that the fleet’s shields were utterly meaningless against it.
Not only would they face the main cannon, but the Evil God’s explosion of soul energy would be added on top of it.
Even Orgal shook his head, at a loss. There was nothing he could do if the main cannon hit them directly. The best he could do was flee through the Steel Gate with the most crucial personnel.
However, Jin looked down at a part of the Evil God’s torso stuck to Sigmund and replied:
[All of them.]
No sooner had he answered than the lightning energy of Sigmund, which had been forming Oppression, transformed.
Pluto’s Sovereign Sword.
The Fighting God’s profound technique was beginning.