C417 - Why, Hairan (11)
Grenille's debris couldn't even fall to the ground.
It was due to the sword energy filling the black sky.
The debris was turned into dust by the sword energy and scattered like smoke, and the leader's form dissipated like dispersing smoke.
'It's over.'
Now that the Dragon Knights have arrived, it's impossible for the situation to change again.
That's how Jin assessed the situation.
There was no way to turn the situation around unless Zipple suddenly sent reinforcements to Kinzelo, or the Vermont Imperial Family betrayed Hairan.
The alliance between Zipple and Kinzelo had long been broken, so the first was impossible, and the second, the same.
Originally, the Dragon Knights belonged to Hairan, but the command was held by the Emperor.
It was the result of the Imperial family's constant pressure on Hairan for generations.
The Dragon Knights had come to defend their home under the Emperor's orders.
'Before they escape, we must inflict as much damage as possible.'
Even if the Dragon Knights joined the battle, it was impossible to completely annihilate Kinzelo here today.
There was no way they would have attacked Hairan without preparing an escape route.
Kwak...!
The furious flames of the Flame Orb that had been spinning fiercely suddenly stopped moving.
A huge crescent-shaped mark appeared on Grenille's front, as if a giant had taken a bite out of it.
In the end, Jin wiped the blood from his mouth as the flames disappeared completely.
There was no need to worry about a backlash anymore.
From now on, Jin's only task was to observe the battle.
On the ground, Rinpa and the Dragon Knights continued to press Berakt.
His body, which had fully healed, was once again covered in wounds. However, Berakt couldn't be easily defeated as he was also among the world's top warriors.
The Dragon Knights were entrenched in the broken vanguard battleship Grenille.
It seemed they couldn't easily infiltrate due to Kinzelo members' resistance inside and the battleship's structure, but it was only a matter of time.
A moment later, Jin could see the leader suddenly reappearing in Grenille's broken vanguard.
The dispersed and misty energy formed the leader's body in front of the ship. It was clearly an action to prevent the Dragon Knights from entering.
Moreover, the process seemed to have taken quite some time, as the newly formed body of the leader trembled like a quaking aspen.
'I think he's overdoing it... To protect Grenille.'
Jin thought so, and everyone witnessing the scene thought the same.
More precisely, he's not doing it to protect Grenille but the passengers.
Everyone aboard Grenille were key members of Kinzelo.
Bouvard, the Chaos Sculptor, Vice-leader Bishkel, Cold Joe for living golem development, and Margiella.
Although it wasn't clear exactly what abilities Margiella possessed, judging by how they treated her, she was more than just Bishkel's sister. She also had a connection to chaos.
"All Dragon Knights in the sky, attack the battleship!"
When Ron gave the order, the Dragon Knights densely formed their ranks.
The sharp sound of the explosion was created as the Bird Dragons swooped down.
Jin had already cast a powerful spell, and it seemed the Dragon Knights could easily annihilate Grenille in an instant.
But at that moment...
Everyone on the battlefield had to realize that Kinzelo's leader had not yet revealed all his power.
The vague figure of the leader darkened.
Blood-red pupils revealed a distinctive glow.
It wasn't just a thirst for blood or special energy but an inexplicably ominous feeling.
The leader's steel sword caused a shockwave in the empty space, and Jin couldn't help but gasp as he saw the sword emit a beam of energy.
The elder sister Luna's sword...
Mind's Blade?
Crimson sword aura.
It was the same sword technique Jin had only seen once, when Luna used it to cut down Andrei Zipple using the Demon God Stone.
Although it didn't have exactly the same form as the "Mind's Blade - Blood Moon" Luna used back then.
The crimson sword aura displayed by the leader unmistakably resembled Luna's sword.
It was similar enough for one to believe that it was the same person who had unleashed it.
"Be careful!"
"Block it!"
Ron and the commander of the Dragon Knights shouted simultaneously.
The Bird Dragons charging suddenly twisted their bodies, and the Dragon Knights deployed their sword shields instead of attacking with the sword aura.
The leader's sword exerted a terrifying force that cut through Hairan's finest knights' sword shields like a piece of paper.
It wasn't just a mere visual resemblance to Luna's sword.
Fortunately, no Dragon Knight lost their life or suffered mortal wounds due to the crimson aura of the sword.
Only after piercing through the Dragon Knights did it finally stop upon colliding with Rashid's radiance.
The elder sister Luna mentioned defeating a demon when she recovered the Orgal Pendant.
Could it be that the leader of Kinzelo is related to that demon?
Jin couldn't confirm it immediately.
Even the Dragon Knights who had almost penetrated deep into the battleship were being pushed back.
The Bird Dragons that had come too close had their wings torn by the consecutive strikes of the crimson sword aura.
Thud!
Other Dragon Knights descended to rescue the fallen Bird Dragons.
At that moment, Jin clenched his fist unintentionally.
This was because a person with the leader's skill level couldn't miss such an opportunity.
It seems the formation of the Dragon Knights is about to break.'
Losing formation in such a chaotic battle would be more than a setback; it could have devastating consequences.
Especially if they lost the Bird Dragons, they would lose their aerial combat capability.
However, the leader couldn't exploit that opening and attack the knights.
Instead, the leader showed signs of exerting too much force.
It was a vulnerability that should never have been shown to the enemy.
The leader was far from being in perfect condition, as Jin had predicted from the beginning.
But if that would be good news for Jin, his comrades, or anyone who had to fight against Kinzelo was another matter.
It's scary to think that he can unleash such power even in his current state, where he's barely forming his entire body with his unique authority.
If he fully recovers in the future...
Jin couldn't even imagine how strong he could become.
Maybe he's on par with my father, if not stronger.'
Except for the Battle Goddess Vahn and Temar, no one had given Jin such an impression.
The power the leader had shown was that stunning.
Woong!
Murakan carried Ron on his back and headed towards the leader.
The leader swayed in the air and missed the opening among the Dragon Knights.
Of course, it was an extremely short opening.
But the story could change when the one taking advantage of that opening was Murakan, the Black Dragon, and Ron, the Sword Emperor.
[Destroy him, Ron Hairan!]
Murakan used his Shadow Energy to form a shield around himself.
It was a shield to protect himself from Ron's attacks...
But it also acted as a curtain, partially obscuring the leader's view.
Ron's entire body shone brightly.
Shortly after, he leaped forward from Murakan's back, and a dazzling light illuminated the area.
Supreme Sword: Secret Technique
Sun.
It was the technique Dante had used against attackers, but Ron's Sun and Dante's Sun were only similar in name.
But, of course, they were on a different level.
Woo!
The aura radiating from Ron formed a sphere literally like a sun.
Both the leader and the battleship Grenille were engulfed by this sphere.
The Dragon Knights, including those who had been rescuing their fallen comrades, joined forces again.
Their role was to prevent the Sun's energy from reaching the allies on the ground.
Despite their efforts, deep and massive craters had formed on the ground.
Only shockwaves made the entire terrain vibrate, and the collapsing Sword Emperor's Castle swayed dangerously as if it were about to collapse completely.
The ear-splitting noise buzzed in the ears, and flashes of light pierced through the eyes like finely sharpened blades.
It seemed impossible for any living being to emerge from Ron's Sun. Countless blades were shot inside that sphere, slashing through the battleship Grenille and the leader.
"Leader!"
Berakt looked up at the sky with a worried expression.
But before he could fully examine Ron's Sun, Rinpa's enormous greatsword crashed.
Berakt's chest was cleaved by the greatsword, and he lost his ear in the subsequent attack.
His two toes were severed just before the distance between them widened again.
In contrast, Rinpa remained completely unharmed.
"Now... die."
Just as Rinpa was about to cut Berakt's life short.
Ahh...!
The roar of a person and a sharp sound of the Sun being "shattered" echoed in the sky.
It was the leader of Kinzelo who had released that roar.
A crimson light spread through the cracks that had extended throughout the Sun.
It was the crimson sword aura.
The Sun had been destroyed.
Ron's secret technique, which he had unleashed with all his might, was now being shattered by someone else's sword under the Sword Emperor's Castle sky.
The light of the Sun and the crimson sword aura, which had filled the entire sky, faded away like receding waves.
Not even Murakan's Shadow Energy, staining the entire sky black, could overcome the impact.
The sky quickly regained its original color.
And amidst it all, the half-destroyed Grenille darkened the morning moon and the leader who stood in front of it.
He no longer had a vague form as before.
He was a demon very close to the human form.
[Ke...!]
His entire body was torn and burst, far from being in a recognizable state.
His body was torn to the point where it could be said to be half-shattered, and he spat out blood.
Even his head, which was only left halfway and oozing blood, took on a ghastly shape that sent chills down the spine.
In front of the leader, Murakan floated with his wings curled.
Ron Hairan emerged as Murakan spread his wings.
He was injured, but unlike the leader, who was almost split in half, he didn't seem to have suffered additional injuries.
However, Jin and the Dragon Knights, as well as Murakan, knew the truth.
Ron had suffered internal injuries to a point that could be dangerous if he continued to fight.
On the other hand, the leader seemed to have an inexplicable composure despite his shattered body and vomiting blood.
The protecting battleship Grenille remained in the same state as before the grand spell had hit it.
The leader remained intact while Ron seemed to be on the verge of collapse.
Hufff...
The leader gasped and raised the remaining arm to wield the steel sword.
Then, a massive steel gate, even larger than battleship Grenille, opened in the sky, and the Dragon Knights tried to fly toward it to prevent Grenille from reaching the gate.
However, Ron stopped them with his gaze.
They didn't know what might happen if the battle continued.
The leader nodded as if Ron's judgment was correct and looked at Jin as Grenille passed through the steel gate.
Then...
A smile appeared on the leader's remaining half of the face as he calmly passed through the steel gate.
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