Chapter 748: Beyond Destiny (20)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 748: Beyond Destiny (20)
Clang—!
Murakan threw a heavy punch at the Evil God.
The shockwave from the collision of fist and sword caused the massive shroud of Chaos Energy surrounding the three of them to ripple violently.
Unlike Jin or the Pluto Tribe, Murakan did not possess complete immunity to Chaos Energy. However, his innate power was so immense that ordinary strikes could not corrupt him.
Though he hadn't fully returned to his prime, he was currently closer to his peak than he had been during the first major offensive.
The Evil God was the first to retreat. Murakan immediately manifested spheres of Chaos Energy in both hands and unleashed a rapid-fire barrage at the distancing deity.
“Kwahaha! I only lacked time back then! Do you think I’d be afraid of a pipsqueak like you? Ah, damn. That actually stung a little!”
Despite his bluster, Murakan quickly whispered to Jin again.
‘Kid, to be honest, I don’t have much time this time either. You know that, right?’
‘Misha said as much.’
Currently, Murakan’s absence from his post was a direct parallel to Solderet’s. If he remained away from the Domain of God for too long, the world’s order of shadows would inevitably collapse in an instant.
‘Still, if I buy you enough time to recover before I leave, it looks like you can finish this yourself. She’s already been hurt quite badly. You went through hell to get her to this state.’
Murakan was currently imbued with Solderet’s divinity. Because of this, he could perceive realms invisible to the eyes of mortals.
As long as Jin’s body was sound, the current Evil God was an opponent he could handle on his own.
‘It wasn’t me; the Fighting God brothers did most of it. For now, just protect me for about a minute.’
‘Got it.’
Whooooosh…!
Murakan transformed into his true form and spread his wings. The Evil God, now radiating pure malice, poured a deluge of sword energy toward him.
A fierce battle was unfolding outside as well.
Unlike before, Padler was holding his own against Vail without being pushed back, but the newly emerged army of Chaos was simply too vast.
Above all, the mental attacks delivered through Chaos Energy and the sheer number of Black Knights were the problem. To the allies, it felt as if the Evil God had resurrected every Black Knight in Runcandel’s history. The four former Patriarchs were effectively commanding that entire legion.
However, Jin and Murakan had no room to worry about the outside world.
Jin pulled a gem that looked like a rounded ruby from his breast pocket. It resembled a Wavelength Tracking Synchronization Device but had a completely different name and purpose.
Numerus’s Blood.
It was a sacred object he had received from the Zipple family in preparation for the final battle.
Jin was neither mortally wounded nor standing at death’s door, but he did not hesitate to toss the blood into his mouth and crunch down on it. He was using it solely to recover his stamina—to return to peak condition to fight the Evil God once more.
This was a battle worth the price.
Crunch!
As the blood of a god filled his mouth, Jin felt his exhaustion vanish instantly. Vitality returned to his eyes, and his heart began pumping blood to every corner of his body with frantic speed.
His muscles tensed until they felt like they might explode, and his senses became infinitely sharp. His darkened Heart of Light gradually regained its original brilliance.
When exactly one minute had passed, Jin gripped his sword again, in a state more perfect than ever before.
Aura swirled around his body, forming a dazzling protective barrier. Then, mana erupted and spread in all directions, while Spirit Energy enveloped Bradamante.
Through the veil of mana, a summoning gate began to open.
[Gaaaaah!]
The dead world known as the Evil God’s Castle had already been shattered to become parts for Ram, meaning Tess could be summoned once again.
“Gah, you startled me! Give me a heads-up before you call this guy!” Murakan shouted.
As Tess breathed fire, Spirit Energy and Aura were added to the flames.
Karma Fire.
And Eternal Fire.
The two flames that symbolized the magic swords of Runcandel pushed back the encroaching Chaos.
Murakan couldn't combine Karma Fire with Shadowless Spear Black Shadow like Misha could, but he strengthened the Karma Fire by simply adding a massive amount of Spirit Energy.
What pierced the Evil God now was not merely a sword. It was the will of fire that had endured through a thousand years of Runcandel’s history. Jin gritted his teeth as he twisted the blade buried in the Evil God’s chest.
[Cough!]
“The clan, my home, my fallen siblings, and countless innocent people! They were all killed and destroyed by your hands!” Jin found himself screaming with bitter resentment.
“The strongest Runcandel in history? A clan threatened by nothing? What you tried to do is something even Father, Temar, and the Fighting God couldn't achieve. Look at the result of your reckless arrogance! The Garden of Swords is in ruins, the knights, the clan…!”
[Shut up! If the clan was so precious to you, you should never have left this place. Not you, and not Cyron! My choice was not wrong!]
“Die!”
What drove Jin to the brink of madness was the fact that even if he killed the Evil God, what had been broken could never be restored. He couldn't maintain his composure while fighting.
It didn't matter. He was now certain he could tear the Evil God into ten thousand pieces.
But even that would not soothe this indignation. The pain of those who had already died by the Evil God’s hand, and the suffering of those left behind, would not vanish.
Slash!
Jin swung his sword horizontally, cutting through the embedded blade. The Evil God healed instantly, attempting to absorb the Eternal Fire just as she had at the start.
With venomous eyes, Jin drove his blade into the same spot again, twisting and slashing. Whenever the Evil God tried to dodge, Murakan was there to block her escape.
Wounds began to appear on Jin and Murakan’s bodies as well. Blood, Spirit Energy, and Chaos Energy mingled, staining the air.
While the Karma Fire burned continuously, Runcandel’s Decisive Techniques and Secret Techniques clashed without pause.
Meteor Shower and Black Meteor Shower struck simultaneously. Sword energy and black sword energy flew toward each other’s throats at near-light speed, blurring vision.
Falling Petals met Falling Petals, Lightning Flash met Lightning Flash, Black Cross Star met Golden Ring Eclipse, and Sky-Sunderer met Sky-Sunderer…
Swords capable of shattering even a superhuman’s Steel Body or a god’s physical form battered the two who were once mother and son, stabbing and slashing at one another.
Their breathing grew ragged, and their throats constantly surged with the metallic taste of blood.
During the bloody struggle that lasted over thirty minutes, the Evil God lost her physical form more than twenty times.
Whether her head was severed, her torso split in half, her body scattered into pieces, or her entire being burned to nothingness—the Evil God resurrected and regenerated endlessly.
Can the clan be rebuilt and resurrected with such persistence? After this fight is over, can this clan called Runcandel, with so few people left, ever rise again…
Whenever such questions arose, moisture welled in Jin’s eyes.
He would make it happen, no matter what. But more than ever, he missed the sights he could never see again.
The dark, cold Garden of Swords where his past self had no place to stand.
The cold, harsh people who had treated his past self with disdain.
The cruel clan his past self had no choice but to leave.
He missed even those painful memories so much it felt like his heart was rotting away.
If someone could take away his privilege of regression and return Runcandel to those days—even if it meant the exiled version of himself never met Valeria and died a quiet, lonely death somewhere—Jin would have accepted without hesitation if given the choice.
I don’t care if I vanish miserably and pathetically. Just give me back my family.
“Because that won’t happen… because such an opportunity will never be given to me… I will kill you and shoulder this heavy duty… the duty called Runcandel. The duty to forge a future where Runcandel can stand tall in the world once more.”
Jin swung his sword, muttering words that neither the Evil God nor Murakan could understand.
His body, which had been restored by Numerus’s Blood, felt heavy again, as if submerged in water. The Evil God’s regeneration had also slowed, her body failing to reform quickly.
No one in the world would ever want to kill their own mother. No one would want to be the child of such a mother, nor would they want to be cursed with the fate of having to save the world from her.
Jin was the same. He had never wanted a future like this.
Destiny. He was only fighting because it was an unavoidable destination he had to accept.
He was simply moving beyond it.
“Aaaaaaaah!”
Jin let out a primal scream as he swung Bradamante. The Karma Fire vanished, and Tess returned to the Fire Realm. Murakan remained, using his entire body to block the Chaos Energy so Jin wouldn't take further damage.
Slash!
The black blade, shrouded in Spirit Energy, clawed across the Evil God’s chest.
Then, for the first time, the Evil God spat out bright red blood instead of Chaos Energy. She coughed up gore just like a human.
The Eternal Fire, which she had been absorbing, finally left a faint, blue ember on her chest. The Evil God clutched at that flame.
[Wheeze, gasp…!]
The Evil God let out a ragged, metallic breath. Her trembling horns and two wings began to melt away slowly. The Chaos Energy wrapped around her body fell to the floor like hideously peeled scales.
The Eternal Fire that had finally seared her chest was beginning to strip away the Chaos.
With every passing second, the Evil God’s appearance drew closer to the human she once was.
Jin did not bother to suppress his complicated emotions as he leveled his sword. He felt it instinctively.
In the end, this fight would only conclude when he fought the Evil God entirely alone—without Ban, Murakan, or any other comrades.
[Kid, you okay?]
As Jin nodded, the storm of Chaos Energy surrounding the three of them began to churn violently, constricting around them in an instant.
[A final struggle, then. If she uses this much Chaos Energy in that state, there won’t be a next time. I still have a bit of time left, so let’s break through and finish this once the energy settles…]
“No, Murakan. You go out first.”
[What? Why?]
“The battlefield outside is being pushed back. Go help them. This Chaos Energy can’t harm me anyway.”
Murakan started to say something more, but he simply shrugged his wings when he saw Jin thrust his hand into the storm of Chaos. Unlike before, the storm truly did not harm Jin at all.
“It’s the final one-on-one. I’ll come back victorious as always, so save as many people as you can while you wait. You’re the Guardian Deity of Runcandel. You should play the part.”
Saying so, Jin slowly began to walk toward the Evil God.