C409 - Why, Hairan (3)
The energies of the intangible sword roamed around Ron and Berakt, emitting eerie sounds.
Berakt let out a mocking chuckle.
"You're very arrogant."
The blood flowing from his thigh quickly stopped.
It didn't seem like a regenerative ability but rather Berakt's own method of controlling his physical body.
Jin sensed a strange sense of discomfort in Berakt's smile.
No...
It was more a feeling of impending danger than discomfort.
'Why am I feeling such an ominous sense of crisis even with Ron-nim by my side.'
Murakan had assessed the great warrior of the White Wolf Tribe as indomitable when he first saw him.
A warrior against whom not even Luna could guarantee victory.
Berakt didn't show the slightest surprise even though his thigh had been slashed by Ron's intangible sword.
Instead, there was a strange sense of pride in his eyes.
Pride in encountering even stronger beings and defeating them all.
'The power of the Grenille battleship has not been fully revealed yet.'
So far... it had only shown the transparent shield and the storm clouds, but there was probably something more.
Not only Jin came to the conclusion that a crisis had come to Hairan, but everyone present thought the same.
Although Ron still seemed calm, he also shared the same feeling.
Berakt adjusted his posture and began to walk.
"Human lives won't be spared in this fight. And they will all die because of you, Ron Hairan."
Thud, thud...!
Berakt's steps were getting heavier and heavier.
He was only 'walking,' but it felt like the ground was splitting, and a deep, resonant tremor emanated from the depths of the earth.
It was as if the ground was screaming as it was trampled by Berakt.
In a matter of seconds, his steps were causing an earthquake.
"It would have been better if you had listened to me when I told you to leave with me in peace."
Ron's intangible sword energies gathered toward Berakt but couldn't easily reach him.
This was because Berakt emitted an aura that distorted the surrounding space.
Vortexes the size of a fist spread through the distorted space, and piles of rocks were lifted under the influence of the aura and turned into fine dust after being sucked into these vortexes.
The intangible sword energies also seemed to be influenced by these vortexes.
Although the intangible swords didn't disintegrate like the rocks or pieces of earth, they couldn't move along the trajectories as Ron had originally envisioned and crumpled just like a piece of paper when exposed to heat.
The swordless foam, whose paths changed, turned whitish and became visible to all.
The earthquake initiated by Berakt's steps grew more intense with each passing moment.
When the distance between Ron and Berakt was reduced to just ten paces, Berakt struck the ground with his great sword.
An incredibly massive sword aura cleaved the ground and the air as it charged toward Ron.
It was even larger than the sword aura Ron had fired at Grenille.
Instead of dodging it, Ron took a step forward and swung Rashid.
And the pure, white blade stopped the approaching sword aura as if it were a lie.
Berakt's sword aura disappeared without a trace.
It was a battle between two individuals who were closer to the strongest.
The landscape of the battlefield was constantly changing every time the two wielded their swords.
Finally, they closed the distance, and their swords clashed.
The entire ground around them collapsed under the force generated by the collision of the great sword and the long saber.
The shockwaves were so powerful that even Jin had to move away to avoid being crushed.
The problem was that this single collision was only the beginning.
Kah!
Berakt's and Ron's swords clashed without rest.
Shockwaves rippled outward with each collision, and the outer walls of the Emperor Sword Castle crumbled under the constant pressure.
At this rate, the Emperor Sword Castle would collapse.
"Murakan!"
A formidable energy was building up in the Grenille battleship.
It was the cannon.
Like Kozec's, golden-colored mana was accumulating in the cannon.
The Emperor Sword Castle wouldn't withstand that blast.
"They won't fire the cannon immediately. Not until Bishkel's group is secured."
The Hairan knights were searching for Bishkel, but it was not an easy task due to the chaotic situation.
"You, too, search for Bishkel!"
[Understood]
In the midst of the dizzying battlefield, Jin's mind was filled with all sorts of thoughts.
'Keeping Bishkel's group as hostages is important, but those bastards undoubtedly have other plans...!'
If he were in their shoes.
If he were a member of the group that attacked the Emperor Sword Castle...
What choices would he make?
How could he effectively pressure the Emperor Sword Castle?
Jin found an answer almost instinctively.
Kinzelo mentioned Bishkel's group as soon as they appeared.
It was as if they intentionally brought up their name and suggested that they would leave immediately if they found them.
In other words, Kinzelo had redirected everyone's attention to Bishkel's group.
But what if Dante Hairan fell into Kinzelo's hands in the meantime?
'The moment Dante is captured, this battle will be over. The Emperor Sword Castle will lose everything.'
Dante Hairan.
If Jin were a member of Kinzelo, his top priority would be to kidnap Dante. There was no easier way to win this battle than that.
He needed to find Dante.
"Shuri!"
[Nyaah!]
Jin mounted Shuri again and scanned the surroundings.
Shuri still carried Beradin tied to her back.
"Let's enter the castle; we have to find Dante!"
[Nyaa-ah!]
Shuri began to sprint inside the castle with a leap, and Berakt didn't miss this sight even in the middle of his fight with Ron.
'The Twelfth Flagbearer of Runcandel... Could that guy be going to find Dante Hairan? That idiot Joe should have him controlled.'
However, Joe wasn't even aware of Jin's movements.
"Hehehe!"
In the absence of Bishkel, Joe laughed like a madman and unleashed lightning from the Grenille.
He seemed completely intoxicated by the overwhelming power of the Grenille.
'I was a fool to expect anything from that idiot.'
But Berakt couldn't give orders to Joe.
Raising his voice to give orders would alert the Emperor Sword Castle to start actively searching for Dante.
All his means of escape would fade once Dante was mentioned.
"Quikantel-nim!"
Jin stopped to address his comrades before entering the castle.
[Jin]
"I need to find Dante. Take care of Beradin for me," Jin told his companions.
Casually, the others seemed too busy to respond, so Enya ended up taking Beradin from Jin's hands.
"Oh, it's lighter than I thought... eh. Jin-nim, where are you going?"
"Inside the castle. I have to find Dante Hairan. Kinzelo probably has him in their sights."
"They're looking for Dante-nim, Bishkel?"
"They're looking for Bishkel too. I'm not sure if they've already been taken to a safe place. Secure them if you see them."
Jin and his companions couldn't move together because they were responsible for an important part of the defense.
Leaving their posts would result in significant casualties among the civilians.
Upon entering the castle, Jin encountered an even more chaotic scene.
Many parts of the inner castle had already collapsed under the impact of Ron's and Berakt's attacks.
Fortunately, the castle's residents had managed to secure an escape route to the back gate, but people were still trapped under the collapsing walls and roofs, crying for help.
"Where is Dante Hairan?"
"He was conducting a rescue operation in the main hall just a moment ago!"
Jin immediately headed for the main hall upon receiving the soldiers' response.
According to the map that the servants had provided him earlier, the main hall was included in the route.
Upon entering the main hall, Jin realized he was right.
"Dante!"
Dante was surrounded by a group of people disguised as servants.
It seemed he had been in a fierce battle, as his breathing was heavy.
Dante's body was covered in wounds, and his clothes were stained with blood.
"Jin...!"
Jin could see dozens of corpses piled nearby Dante.
They were Hairan members that Dante had been rescuing.
He even saw the corpse of a high-ranking Hairan knight.
It was the body of a high-ranking knight who had just fought alongside Dante against the attackers.
'These aren't just regular criminals.'
There were only three attackers.
And yet, they had completely overwhelmed Dante and the high-ranking Hairan knight.
The fact that only three of them had done it said it all.
Undoubtedly, they were people from Kinzelo, but there was no one among them that Jin could easily identify.
Most of the skilled individuals from Kinzelo he had encountered so far were mages or beastmen.
In contrast, these attackers were warriors.
Jin could intuitively sense it.
They were pure human martial artists, unlike the gray-robed individuals he had fought before.
"As far as I know, Kinzelo was severely understaffed. Are they fully equipped now?"
"They're no ordinary folks, Jin," Dante responded with a bitter smile.
As Jin approached, two of the attackers stepped forward to block his path.
Swish...
Jin unsheathed Bradamante.
"What are you lunatics doing in someone else's banquet hall?"
The two attackers were the first to brandish their swords.
Two of them simultaneously extended their swords towards Jin, and it was powerful.
They possessed at least an 8-star or higher battle skill. Still, these two shouldn't be a problem.
What concerned him the most was the one pressuring Dante.
That attacker emitted a much more dangerous aura than the other two. Jin had the feeling that even if Dante and he fought together, he would have to unleash Final Movements and the secret magic sword technique to have any chance against him.
And there weren't many who possessed such transcendent martial skill among famous warriors.
It mainly applied to those who had reached the last stage of the 9 or 10-star aura.
However, it was unlikely that a famous Warrior would suddenly join Kinzelo.
Hairan's other swordsmen would eventually come to fight if the battle prolonged in the main hall.
Therefore, even a 10-star Warrior couldn't hide under a mask for long.
Once their true identity was revealed, it was inevitable that they would have a hostile relationship with Hairan in the future.
So Jin had to quickly deal with the two and help Dante.
The swords of the two attackers cut through the air.
And in the next instant, Jin ended the life of one of them with a single strike.
This was because the attackers had fought out of habit, as if facing a 'common knight.'
Slash!
The decapitated attacker had clearly struck Bradamante, but it was a black sword that beheaded him.
It was the Second Shadow Blade Technique, "Scissors," that severed his head.
Perhaps the attackers hadn't anticipated that one of them would die in the first exchange against a Runcandel Flagbearer, which made the other one hesitate and step back.
He still didn't know what had severed his comrade's head.
He simply sensed that Jin had used some kind of trick.
"You must have been prepared to die as well when you attacked Hairan, so there's no need to feel remorse."
Once again, the Scissors rushed towards the attacker.
The attacker might have been able to block the Scissors' blade a couple of times if given another chance to observe it.
Only now did he realize that the blade was forming behind him, and death seemed inevitable.
However, the attacker who had faced Dante lunged forward and blocked the black blade.
The impact pushed Jin back, and he struggled to breathe.
The sword that had deflected the Scissors seemed oddly familiar to Jin...
And at that moment, it reminded him of a certain group of warriors.
The Black Knights?
Jin tightly gripped his sword and made eye contact with the masked attacker.
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