Chapter 747: Beyond Destiny (19)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 747: Beyond Destiny (19)
Whirrrrrrr—!
As if by a miracle, the sea of lightning that had blanketed the ground vanished in an instant. All that remained was a shield-like aura of lightning, swirling around Jin where he lay on the earth.
‘…As I thought. The synchronization rate was too high.’
Jin pushed himself up and inspected his body.
His limbs felt heavy, as if a great mountain were pressing down on his shoulders. He had wielded power several times greater than his own, even if for a short time, and the physical toll was inevitable.
‘It’s not so bad that I can’t fight. Besides, the Evil God took far more damage than I did.’
He lifted his head. The Ram was shattered so brutally it was now unrecognizable.
Standing before the wreckage was the physical form of the Evil God.
His snapped horns and melting flesh were a testament to the desperate struggle he had endured until the very end. Before Jin could act, however, the body completely dissipated, scattering into the void.
“What happened?”
“Is… is it over?”
“The mental attacks from the chaos have stopped.”
Trembling voices rippled through the allied ranks. Everyone was fervently praying that this horrific battle had finally reached its conclusion.
However, Orgal narrowed his eyes and shook his head. He and Jin were the first to notice the chaos energy beginning to condense once more.
[It seems the Evil God has achieved a form of awakening.]
“Awakening?”
Orgal nodded at Veradin’s question.
[Indeed. Growth through crossing the threshold of life and death is not a blessing reserved for mortals alone. If I am correct, the Evil God has just attained a higher level of divinity—the price he paid for his gamble against the Fighting God of the Pluto Tribe.]
“…Does that mean he’s stronger than before?”
[In an absolute sense, yes. Given enough time to recover, the Evil God would certainly be more powerful. However, the amount of chaos energy the Fighting God destroyed just now is immense. I can guess why the Fighting God’s manifestation ended so abruptly, but with just three more minutes, the Evil God would never have had the chance to awaken.]
“Three minutes… How unfortunate.”
Veradin was overcome by a profound sense of futility and regret. In less than thirty minutes, the Fighting God had nearly accomplished what the combined might of humanity’s strongest forces couldn’t achieve even by risking their lives.
Veradin resumed his command. Fortunately, while Ban had been driving the Evil God into a corner, the fleet had not sustained significant damage.
On the ground, Jin’s comrades began racing toward him.
“Jin!”
“Jin, are you alright?”
“Youngest!”
[12th Flagbearer!]
Just as Jin was about to turn toward them, a sudden chill shot down his spine. He reflexively swung his sword upward.
Swaaaak—!
A single streak of pitch-black sword energy grazed Jin’s cheek.
Immediately after, hundreds of similar streaks rained down on Jin and his companions. It was a barrage from the Evil God.
His comrades stepped forward to deploy a sword curtain, but Jin cast a protective shield first, pushing them back.
“The chaos energy has grown denser. You’ll be infected. Everyone, stay back.”
[Youngest, you truly drove me to the brink of extinction this time.]
The Evil God’s gloomy voice echoed once more.
As if his melting body from moments ago had been a mere illusion, he now floated in the air, looking perfectly intact.
[That was truly dangerous… but even so, destiny refused to let anyone else interfere between you and me. That being you call the Fighting God was certainly stronger than I, but in the end, he failed to finish the job.]
Kwaaaaah!
The fleet unleashed a concentrated bombardment on the Evil God.
Countless shells seemed to score direct hits, but the explosions only obscured him for a moment before being absorbed and neutralized by a black curtain he deployed.
The Evil God looked down at Jin and smirked.
[I think I understand your feelings a little better now. So this is what it feels like to have destiny on your side.]
“You’d think you’d be tired of spouting that bullshit by now. Don’t you ever get bored?”
[We shall see. But since the situation has changed, the stage must change as well.]
The moment the Evil God finished speaking, Jin and his allies felt the ground beneath their feet begin to vibrate.
The earth shook as if its very foundations were collapsing.
Creeeak, craaaack—!
But the vibration didn't result in a collapse.
Like the roots of a giant tree being unearthed, the ground itself began to soar upward. The rising landmass floated rapidly toward the fragments of the Ram, which were suspended like dark specks in the sky.
“Fleet, scatter and perform evasive maneuvers! Do not collide with the fragments of the Ram!”
The fleet increased its altitude and scattered to avoid the rising earth, while the ground troops ran for their lives to avoid the falling debris.
It took less than ten seconds for the ground and the fragments of the Ram to merge.
No casualties occurred among the ground troops during the ascent, but about twenty vessels and a dozen dragons were crushed upon impact with the fragments.
Ten li.
The area of the floating land exactly matched the size of the battlefield below.
The earth moved like flowing water, filling the cracks in the broken Ram as the ship reconstructed itself. The allies, reeling from shock, had to scramble through fissures to avoid being crushed or climb higher to reach the upper deck.
Jin swung his Spirit Sword incessantly. His Heart of Light, like an overloaded power source, was failing to properly generate lightning.
One by one, the allies began to take their positions on the upper deck of the Ram.
Whenever a part of the ship’s hull burst open like a tumor, allied ships, dragons, or troops would emerge. In essence, the entire army had been lifted into the sky with the land, and they now stood atop the Ram.
The first thing that met their eyes was a sky filled with clouds stained pitch-black.
The Evil God stood at the center of it all, waiting.
The Ram, repaired by its merger with the earth, was not as stable as before. It was riddled with stains and cracks, like a garment made of stitched-together rags, and its main cannons seemed non-functional.
However, the fact that this horrific vessel, spanning nearly ten li, had regained its form was enough to deeply unsettle the alliance.
As Orgal had said, given enough time, the Ram would eventually become even more complete than before. This was their last chance.
If they failed to destroy the Evil God today, the alliance and all of humanity would be next to vanish.
[What will you do now, Youngest? I’m sure you’d like to run away and wait for a chance to summon the Fighting God again… but I have no intention of allowing that.]
A storm of chaos energy began to howl around the edges of the Ram.
It was impossible for the fleet to break through, and even Orgal’s dimensional gates were no longer functioning properly.
“I’ve never even thought about running. I came here today to settle this once and for all…”
Spirit Energy Release.
Spirit energy spread out from Jin like a spiderweb. In an instant, it cast a deep shadow over the entire area where he and the Evil God stood.
Simultaneously, the fleet’s observation mages confirmed that chaos forces were pouring out from the storm wall surrounding the Ram.
“Northern wall! An army of approximately ten thousand confirmed! It’s composed of chaos dragons, black ships, and knights!”
“That lightning storm…!?”
“It’s the former member of the Ten Great Knights, Padler Runcandel! Behind him are numerous troops, including Black Knights…!”
“Yes, I wondered why I hadn't seen you. It’s finally time for you to go to hell, Padler!”
“The knight who just attacked the 2nd Fleet is definitely a superhuman! Is it one of the remaining former Patriarchs!?”
From north, south, east, and west—new armies of chaos were swarming in. It was the Blue Lightning King Padler Runcandel and the four remaining Patriarchs.
Jin couldn't hear his allies’ voices. The distance was too great, and the roiling mixture of spirit energy and chaos energy between him and the Evil God blocked all sound.
He didn’t need to hear them, however. His intuition told him of the new forces’ arrival.
“You had more hidden troops, Evil God.”
[It is quite satisfying to know that I must use every card in my hand to deal with you. Furthermore, I even had to risk attaining a higher divinity… Ugh!]
As he spoke, the Evil God suddenly doubled over, clutching his mouth. A dark mass erupted from his throat, seeping through his fingers. His eyes widened in shock.
“Satisfied? It’s a bit much, acting so high and mighty after taking a profound technique from the Fighting God, even if it was incomplete. It seems you were so intoxicated by your rapid growth that you didn’t even realize your own condition.”
After the Fighting God Union ended, Jin had inherited all the memories Ban had accumulated during his battle with the Evil God.
‘Severance’ was a sword technique that tore through the opponent’s very soul.
Even if the awakening had been successful, deep wounds from Severance remained etched in the Evil God’s body and soul. Invisible lightning energy was writhing inside him even now.
“And as for reinforcements, the same goes for our side.”
Jin deepened his Spirit Energy Release even further.
—Tell Jin to simply expand his Spirit Energy Release to its maximum at the most critical moment. Then, that fellow will manifest immediately.
That was the message Misha had sent to Jin through Siris and Mort before the final battle began.
[Kuaaaaah!]
The Evil God let out a monstrous shriek and lunged at Jin.
Jin didn’t dodge the frenzied attack. Instead, a sneer played on his lips.
Before the attack could reach him, spirit energy condensed in front of him, and a shadow took form.
He had coarse, long hair that reached his waist, fierce, narrowed eyes, and a low, posturing voice.
“Long time no see, kid.”
It was Murakan in his human form.
The moment he manifested, he displayed monstrous strength by catching the Evil God’s blade with his bare hands.
“In situations like this, I feel like my lines are always the same.”
“They sound good, though,” Jin replied.
“I suppose they do.”
[Murakan…!]
The Evil God glared at Jin and Murakan, his face twisted with rage.
[Yes, I expected you to show up. Guardian deity of the old era—last time you were too busy running away. Will you fight properly today?]
Murakan wanted to offer a cool smirk in response, but he ended up making a sound that somewhat damaged his dignity.
“Hot, hot, hot!”
The chaos energy spreading from the blade was seeping into his hands.
Murakan recoiled in surprise, looking like someone who had just touched a hot stove. For a moment, even the Evil God looked dumbfounded. Jin instinctively pressed a hand to his forehead.
“Ahem. I briefly forgot that the Evil God is a source of chaos infection. Kid, I assume no one saw that just now?”
Jin shrugged, but seeing Murakan act like a fool the moment he arrived brought a strange sense of relief.
The fact that he wasn't being serious meant the opponent wasn't so threatening that they couldn't handle him.