章節 471: CHAPTER 630
[T.L: punisher87]
[My ko-fi link:- https://ko-fi.com/punisher87 ]
As Jin drew closer, all kinds of energies emanating from the Ghost Castle became even more powerful.
Now, it was to the point where not only Jin, but also his companions and lower-ranking members of the Ghost mercenaries and the Black king mercenary could also felt it.
'I expected that the energy of Smarion Proch would be strong... but is it really this intense?'
'Will the young master be alright alone? It's hard to breathe even from this far away.'
Jin's companions looked at his back and thought.
They had heard about Jin turning Ranke Halovice into a living corpse as soon as he arrived, but the energy emanating from Smarion now was beyond that.
Besides, what Smarion was emitting now was not all of it.
'If it was for the preparation in Tikan, we would never have been able to handle the Smarion Proch with the power that we came here in the first place....'
Jin's companions became stunned when they confirmed the reality of the power that Smarion had.
If Jin hadn't returned from training at this point, they didn't even want to imagine how many casualties the Vamel Alliance would have suffered.
Jin also swept his heart that he was not late.
'I'm glad that I came right away.'
If he had continued his training, if the Red Owl hadn't been completed, or if Smarion had broken the seal sooner. If any of these had gone wrong, people would surely have died.
As Jin approached the edge of the forest, the landscape darkened.
The Ghost Forest, eroded by chaos, looked as barren as the Black Sea, and the towering ghost castle was shaking as if it would explode at any moment.
Jin swung open the castle gate without hesitation.
The chaos clinging to the gate stuck to his hands like ash, but it was soon washed away by lightning energy.
Before long, Jin reached the lowest level where Smarion awaited.
The huge iron gate that covered the seal melted into chaos and left only traces.
The seal, made by the elders of the Ghost mercenaries with their lives, was already broken as Jin predicted it from the outside.
"Why don't you come out now, Smarion Proch?"
[Yes, you must be Chiron's blood...….]
Despite never having seen Jin, Smarion was confident.
'Has any shred of reason remained in him?'
Jin thought it might be. If only his instincts and demonicization were left, Smarion would have no reason to give time to Jin as if you were facing your dream opponent.
However, what remained in Smarion's consciousness was closer to blind enmity than reason.
Toward Chiron, and toward the existence that handles the shadows. It was a common trait among all chaos: an aversion to the shadow force.
[You also have unpleasant powers.]
Swoosh...…!
A crack pierced through the seal from the inside, and a pitch-black hand emerged.
When that hand completely tore the seal, a sharp shriek, akin to that of a human, pierced the ears.
It was the sound of the trapped souls of the Ghost mercenaries elders, now released.
The spirits appeared hazy and seemed to be trying to escape somewhere.
Caught in the grasp of Smarion, they became his 'prey'. Smarion devoured the souls as if chewing the raw meat of a beast.
"Before I draw my sword, let me ask one thing. I don't think I'll be able to relax while fighting against you."
Jin locked eyes with Smarion. In his red eyes, there was no trace of anything human.
"Outside, there are children, Sir Laya Proch, Faye Proch, and my companions. Do you have any intention of making a choice or cooperating for their sake?"
[Why should I bother with tasteless things like them?]
Sigmund and Bradamante made a ghastly friction sound as they came out of the scabbard. Jin's eyes softened for a moment with bitterness before hardening.
"Regrettable. If you hadn't been consumed by chaos, you might have considered them even a little."
As soon as he finished answering, Jin's vision darkened.
The chaos that Smarion held exploded.
The explosion that started at the lowest level of the basement destroyed the entire Ghost Castle in the blink of an eye.
An earthquake spread outside, and those waiting reinforced their shields, opening their eyes wide.
It was more than 1500m away from where they were, but the shockwave hitting the shield was fierce and relentless.
Jin took the brunt of it at close range.
Surprisingly, amidst the aftermath of the explosion and the debris of the shattered castle, Jin appeared unharmed.
Jin unleashed his shadow sword to offset all the chaos that poured onto him.
In the midst of the explosion, Jin's eyes, cold and shining, followed Smarion's movements.
Smarion also formed his dual swords with chaos to confront Jin.
The ground collapsed.
Due to being eroded by chaos for a long time, the Ghost castle could not withstand the slightest shock and crumbled to dust.
The Proch siblings and the ghost mercenaries members did not sigh even after witnessing that the ghost castle was collapsing.
They thought it was an insult to Jin who was fighting for them.
The exploding chaos naturally created a battleground for the two. The ground dug into a huge semicircle, leaving the bodies of the two in the air for an instant, and before their feet could even touch the ground again, they swung their swords at each other.
Shadow force, chaos, and three black blades were intertwined in a dizzying way.
Every time chaos exploded, the curtain of shadow force offset it, and with each clash of swords, the cracks in the ground widened incessantly.
In just a few seconds, the destruction unfolding seemed unbelievable.
"Battle begins, we are entering too, prepare to open the disruptors!"
At Cuicantelle's command, the Vamel Alliance headed to the battlefield in perfect order.
They couldn't enter swiftly. It was because shadow force, chaos, aura, mana, and lightning energy were surging like a storm.
[I have been waiting for someone like you. The same kind as Chiron Runcandel...…! I will devour you and find him.]
Boom...…!
The endless pouring chaos ravaged the ground, distorting space.
If left alone, Smarion won't tire even after wiping the area off the map. The size of his pure power clearly exceeded Jin's.
'As expected, even if consciousness remains, in the end he is just a demonic murderer.'
What makes a martial artist strong is not the total amount of strength, but the enlightenment of level and martial arts gained through struggle.
And Smarion forgot most of the enlightenment that he had gained during his time as a human.
Bang-!
Jin blocked Smarion's twin swords, which had fallen like lightning. The twin swords created by chaos broke and scratched Smarion's neck.
The shards of the broken twin swords changed like Kaio's scattered arrows and attacked Jin.
One of them grazed Jin's cheek, but in the gap, Jin sliced through Smarion's chest. Black blood splattered, and Smarion spread black chaos as he increased the distance.
Hundreds of chaos projectiles falling in the form of spheres tore through the shadow force and aura shields.
Chaos that broke through it and went out of the battlefield hit the whole forest.
It was around the time when Jin's companions entered the battlefield and saw Jin and Smarion fighting for the first time.
'Is that our lord?'
'This huge power is not giving the lord a proper blow...!'
On the way, it was mostly Smarion's power, not Jin's, that made their entry difficult. Because of this, Jin's companions thought that Jin might be pushed back.
But it was far from the truth.
If a ship existed in the world that could not be shaken even in the face of raging waves and storms, it would resemble Jin, steadfastly holding his ground against Smarion's onslaught.
The difference in caliber was evident.
At that point, Jin's companions were able to feel the fact that he had risen to the ranks of transcendence beyond 10-star.
Just looking at Jin's back, which started to look like a distant dot, felt like a giant who was standing right in front of their nose.
His opponent was the highest level of chaos infected and arguably the strongest ghost leader of all time.
Despite facing such a legendary figure and Smarion's overwhelming control of space with his immense power, Jin's companions never thought for a moment that Jin would lose.
In reality, Jin's task wasn't about winning the fight. The key was how much external damage he could minimize. That was the crux of the matter.
The outcome was practically decided the moment they drew their swords. What mattered was achieving maximum results with minimal damage.
That's why Jin asked before the fight started.
You cannot defeat me. How about giving up?
"Deploy the disruptors!"
As Cuicantelle shouted, more than five hundred blue rods shot up into the air. The disruptors floated in a circle and connected by mana, and the next moment the phenomenon occurred that blocked the aura of the two people, who had been shaking the battlefield the whole time.
'There is no need to doubt Dr. Qwaul's stuff. If this works for me as well, it will be no different from rat poison to the martial artist below me.'
Of course, concentrating five hundred disruptors on just two individuals was only possible because of Jin's prowess.
The size of the aura released by Jin and Smarion has been significantly reduced, and the speed at which forests and ground were being destroyed slowed down.
Smarion tried to intensify the chaos even more, but Jin raised his senses and parried the attacks.
The sense of operating the aura.
'But even five hundred would be far from enough to hinder the operation of the aura of those who transcended.'
Before the disruptors were deployed, a much larger aura than before was already forming in Jin's illuminating heart. It was something that Smarion, soaked in demonic energy, could never accomplish.
'As it stands, thanks to that, it's now easier for me to protect my companions.'
Plutonian Swordsmanship 4th Battle King Mystic technique
Guardian Brethren
As Jin's illuminating heart emitted a radiance, lightning rained down on the heads of Jin's companions.
Instead of striking a blow, the lightning bolts turned into a protective shield that protected the target.
All of the forces of the Vamel Alliance nearby were protected by the guardian brethren.
Smarion's chaos, which had passed through the Aura Shield and the Dragon fire shield, could not break through the dense blue shield.
Jin tightened his grip on Bradamante once again, fixing his gaze on Smarion.
"Now, you can't kill anyone, Smarion Proch."
[T/L: You can read more chapters and support me here: https://ko-fi.com/punisher87 & https://bmc.link/punisher87 ]
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babayaga01
babayaga01 You can read more chapters and support me here: https://ko-fi.com/punisher87 & https://bmc.link/punisher87
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章節 472: CHAPTER 631
[T.L: punisher87]
[My ko-fi link:- https://ko-fi.com/punisher87 ]
Approximately five hundred aura disruptors.
Over the past two and a half years, Qwaul had raised the performance of the disruptors and related artifacts to near the limit, and done numerous tests before that.
So far, none of Jin's companions had been able to win against five hundred disruptors.
In the first place, there was no need to go up to 500, and even Valkas and Cuicantelle could not use their aura properly while dealing with more than 200 disruptors.
But now Jin was not affected by the disruptors.
Rather, as soon as the disruptors were deployed, Jin released tremendous aura and even covered all the people waiting outside the battlefield with new protective shields.
Just like how Ron Hairan protected people from chaos in the war of the Sword Emperor Castle.
'Ignoring all disruptors and granting individual shields to hundreds of people is something that cannot be accomplished solely with an aura of over 10-star...… It's not within human capabilities. You've returned as a monster, Jin.'
Cuicantelle involuntarily swallowed dry saliva.
Even for her, who remembered Murakan's prime, the martial arts that Jin shows now was shocking enough.
In a way, she even felt that Jin had already become more terrifying than Murakan back then.
At this rate of growth, even battle prowess would soon reach equal to Murakan, but the judgment and insight had never truly belonged to the young human.
Puzz-!
Suddenly, a blue radiance spread across the battlefield. After the battle began, Smarion's energy, which had been exceeding Jin's, was being eaten up by the aura and lightning energy.
[I'm being treated as nothing more than a mere beast. Is this not a fight but a hunt for you?]
Smarion showed displeasure and fired his sword energy toward Jin's companions.
However, the sword energy seemed to disintegrate in the air before reaching the shields.
It was offset by the energy of Jin that spread in layers.
"It would be wise to focus on me. Attempts to threaten me through those outside will only work against you."
Smarion narrowed his eyes.
Now, Jin couldn't see the composure that Smarion had shown in the beginning, while Jin had a calm face like the first time.
What Jin said was true. Taking his companions as hostages in a state where he couldn't handle Jin properly right now was an effective method only until he "arrived at Ghost Castle."
Jin wondered why Smarion hadn't done that. It was not a sufficient explanation to say that he only had the desire to fight Chiron or that type of human.
'Maybe it's the result of Smarion resisting demonic nature. That's why my companions are not dead by the time I arrive.'
It wasn't a situation where Jin could have a calm conversation about him.
Whether his companions are unharmed is the result of Smarion's resistance to demonic nature or not. There was no change in the fact that Jin had to subjugate him.
Even if it was the former, it would mean that Smarion's last humanity, which remained in demonic nature, was desperately desired.
[It seems I've underestimated you after being absent from the world for so long.]
Squeak-!
An afterimage was left where Jin had stood. At the same time, Smarion's twin swords broke again, and he punched Jin's sword, which was penetrating into his chest, with his bare fist.
A deafening clang resounded from the clash between Bradamante and Smarion's fist.
Others trembled at the powerful shock waves transmitted through the guardian brethren, the dragon fire shield, the divine power of time, and various protective shields.
As they began to speed up the battle, the scars on Smarion's body increased rapidly. Jin didn't allow a single effective hit after the disruptors were deployed.
Before long, Smarion changed his tactics.
'All attacks have become heavier. He can't win if he dragged the fight, so he must somehow land a decisive blow.'
The battle of top-notch martial artists had to be delicate and precise.
While most of Smarion's enlightenment gained during his time as the Ghost Leader had become murky due to demonic nature, his sword still retained the subtlety characteristic of a transcendent individual.
However, Smarion was in the process of breaking down even that remaining subtlety. As soon as he decided that a head-on confrontation was out of the question, he chose to end the both of them.
[Ha, ha, ha!]
Bradamante pierced Smarion's left shoulder.
At the same time, Smarion thrust the sword in his right hand towards Jin's chest.
The blade penetrated the shadow force armor and dug into Jin's chest just a finger's breadth deep.
The blade bears the decades of chaos that Smarion has built up. A murky energy incomparable to any poison in the world spread through Jin's body in an instant.
Of course, Smarion has expected Jin to back down in panic. He thought Jin would vomit blood, bend forward, and struggle to subdue the chaos that had somehow entered his body.
However, Jin didn't care and exploded the sword stuck in Smarion's shoulder without a hint of panic.
Jin is a member of the Plutonian tribe. Through this training, Jin went beyond the concept of brethren as a human but also acquired nearly identical physical characteristics to them.
Unless it was the first chaos that Helluram used directly, or a power equivalent to it. All sorts of 'general chaos' in the world could no longer affect Jin. No matter how vast and dense it is.
[It's ridiculous...…. you bastard, what is your true identity?]
Smarion's last attempt did not work.
Smarion, who increased the distance, gasped for breath with his left arm dropping. As soon as Jin's shadow force armor was pierced, he concentrated all his energy, but Jin didn't even look tired, let alone hurt.
If he could somehow deal with Jin alone, he might have been able to escape and plan for another day, even with only a fraction of his remaining power.
But in fact, the fight was already over.
Smarion couldn't think of any other way to threaten Jin. Even now, it was obviously impossible to take his companions hostage, and there was no way to escape.
"You looked for my father when you saw me."
Jin slowly moves towards Smarion.
Smarion was desperate and swung his sword, but Jin effortlessly evaded or parried every strike, demonstrating the disparity in their skills.
"When you were the leader of the ghost mercenaries, you must have been much stronger than you are now, but you couldn't become my father's opponent."
Only Jin can say that the ghost leader Smarion Proch was stronger back than when he was encroached by chaos.
Without reaching Jin's level of transcendence, one could never think that way. It is because there is an realm that can never be reached by the demonicization instead of absolute composure. Even if the power is much greater.
"But I wondered why my father, Chiron Runcandel, kept you alive in those days."
-My lord, you probably don't even know that my father ever had a fight with Sir Chiron.
-My father and the former ghost leader...…?
- I didn't see it myself. It was even before I was born. However, the fight lasted all day and in the end Sir Chiron won, but for some reason Sir Chiron did not kill my father.
Although Smarion, the leader of the ghost mercenaries, wasn't controlled by demonic nature, was strong enough to fight Chiron at that time for 'a day', and even after losing the battle, the ghost mercenaries did not give their allegiance to Runcandel.
However, Chiron often visited the ghost castle to inquire about Smarion's well-being.
"After clashing swords with you, I have a vague idea of why my father did that."
[What are you talking about?]
"My father would have respected the fact that you were resisting chaos."
Resistance to chaos and respect for it.
If you think about it, there were many strange points in the fight between Jin and Smarion from the beginning. Smarion was able to open the seal at any time long before Jin arrived.
Therefore, Smarion could annihilate the humans who surrounded him at any time until Jin came. Even if most of Tikan's strongmen were on standby, they would not be able to compete with Smarion.
But Smarion did not do that. He rightly said that he waited for someone like Chiron.
A few times, the chaos of Smarion exploded and made the surrounding a mess, and casualties occurred in the process, but there was no decisive damage to the Tikan side.
It was only after Jin appeared that Smarion focused all his chaos and bloodlust on him.
Jin felt that there was no reason why Smarion would do that, no matter how he thought it.
Except for one assumption, the premise that 'Smarion resisted demonic nature in order not to kill people'.
"I've decided to assume that you resisted chaos until I arrived. It must be thanks to that your sword has been so blunt all along, and that the Proch siblings and my people did not die."
In other words, Jin speculated that Smarion let go of the last thread of resistance as soon as "a being who could kill him" appeared.
[Maybe it's because you are Chiron's blood, so you are good at talking arrogant nonsense.]
"So I would like to pay my respects before ending the fight. Not the monster of chaos standing in front of me right now, but the human Smarion Proch, who defended the Ghost Castle alone from the chaos until yesterday."
Swoosh...…!
Suddenly, the aura and lightning energy that covered the battlefield disappeared.
The murky energy of Smarion, which it had tied up, also disappeared. It was Jin's shadow force that quickly began to fill the space again, and the battlefield, which was chaotic with mixed powers, quickly became quiet.
Within it, chaos rose like an awl a few times, but like a stone thrown into the sea, it seemed to sink into shadow force.
[Damn it...….]
Jin stopped walking and aimed Bradamante at Smarion.
There was no need to use the Shadow Sword ultimate technique.
Gently, as if closing the eyes of a dead person, Bradamante penetrated Smarion's chest.
Smarion flinched once and grabbed the blade, and Jin calmly stared into his fading red eyes.
Smarion's eyes were not looking at Jin, who had stabbed him, but at the darkness beyond stained with shadow force.
In a life stained by madness and chaos, the only warm memories were the time when he held Lata and Faye. Even that eventually ended up being years of abuse and violence towards each other.
Smarion was not sentimental as he recalled that time. As Jin expected, the moment he arrived, Smarion lost the last remnants of his humanity.
It was just a coincidence that Smarion focused on his children, or it was like human Smarion's rigor after death.
But in Jin's eyes, it seemed like the fateful result of Smarion's resistance to chaos.
"Farewell, Sir Smarion."
Eventually, the fallen Smarion became particles and scattered among the shadow force that filled the battlefield, and Jin briefly paid a silent tribute to him.
[T/L: You can read more chapters and support me here: https://ko-fi.com/punisher87 & https://bmc.link/punisher87 ]
創作者的想法
babayaga01
babayaga01
You can read more chapters and support me here: https://ko-fi.com/punisher87 & https://bmc.link/punisher87
Your gift is the motivation for my creation. Give me more motivation!
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