C531
As soon as he saw his friend, who ran towards him immediately, the blood flowing from Dante's eyes seemed to have lightened a bit.
Dante couldn't take his eyes off Jin for a while, as if time had stood still.
The inner hatred, madness, bloodstains, and destruction seemed to rapidly subside.
It was like when you find yourself in a dead-end and realize you have someone to rely on.
Dante didn't want Jin to come into this quagmire, but that was based solely on the judgment that it was the right thing to do as a friend.
In fact, he wished more than anyone that Jin would fight by his side.
If the situation were reversed, he would have gone to help Jin with everything at stake.
"...Jin, you've come."
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"You speak as if it's a surprise. Yes, it's me."Dante dropped to one knee and sat on the ground as he saw Jin.
Upon seeing Jin, the hidden exhaustion in the rage began to shake his whole body.
His bones rattled even when he was still, and black blood oozed from every pore on his face.
Jin found it hard to believe that Dante had been standing with his body until now, and that he had even fought.
"Did you try to die intentionally, Dante?"
"To my shame..."
"Do you have any intention to live now?"
Dante nodded.
"I was worried about what to do if I had to knock you out again, but fortunately, it seems unnecessary."
"If you hit me in my current state, I might die."
"Anyway, you've held up well. Rest a bit until you can fight again."
Jin smiled satisfied and helped Dante onto Shuri's back.
Mounted on Shuri, Dante alternated his gaze between Jin and the battlefield for a while, then nodded.
As his friend says, he realized there must be a next time.
"...Thank you."
When Jin gave the signal, Shuri sped towards the Sword Emperor Castle.
The enemies dared not stand in front of Shuri due to the terrifying mana bolts emanating from her eyes and the swing of her front paws.
High-level healing priests from the Holy Kingdom, brought by Jin, awaited inside the Sword Emperor Castle.
"...It's the first time I've seen you grow, Jin Runcandel."
"First of all, I would like to thank you for waiting. Leader of the Dragon King Knights, Johncena Ferrell-nim."
It wasn't about not interrupting their conversation with Dante a moment ago.
Jin believed that Johncena hadn't intentionally killed Dante and had waited for him.
Judging by Dante's condition, Johncena could have finished him off in five minutes.
Although there was a secret technique after staking his life, the moment it was executed, Dante's death was genuinely certain.
In that case, Johncena planned to somehow render Dante unconscious before the secret technique was executed and send him back to the Sword Emperor Castle.
In other words, Johncena had no intention of killing Dante, and Jin was curious about the reason.
"It's bitter. I never thought a man like you would abandon his faith and join the Emperor's tyranny. Meanwhile, what's the point of trying to save Dante? Guilt? Hypocrisy? I hope it's not such a tepid reason."
"I am a knight of the Empire."
It was a statement with many meanings.
Johncena, as a knight of the Empire, simply chose the path that could save the most people.
As a knight of the Empire, there was no better choice than that.
The reason he tried to save Dante was the hope that the fire called Hairan would not be completely extinguished.
As long as Zipple was with them...
Hairan would never win this war, so he hoped the fire would restore the empire again in the future.
If it were Dante Hairan, he could undoubtedly do it.
He would be able to transcend hatred and revenge, ultimately choosing radiant justice.
Johncena was convinced of that.
Jin easily deciphered the underlying meaning.
"It seems Zipple threatened to destroy the empire if it didn't hand over the white stone."
Johncena didn't respond.
For some reason, he stood as an enemy of the Sword Emperor Castle...
And it was a correct choice considering the well-being of the people, but by no means honorable.
"Your choice was wrong, sir. Do you have any intention to correct that choice even now? Dante and I will never give up on Hairan."
"I don't know about you, but I don't think all of Runcandel supports the Sword Emperor Castle."
"If the white stone is so valuable as to move all of Zipple, then the Garden of Swords won't stay still either."
"Even if that's the case, I don't wish for a future where the Empire becomes the battlefield between Runcandel and Zipple. Civilians aren't as accustomed to death as we Warriors. Protecting their lives is the only duty of an imperial knight."
"I will respect that."
A person's life represents everything about them.
As far as Jin knew, the human named Johncena Ferrell was never someone who made bad decisions for personal desire or survival.
However, choices always brought consequences.
Crack-le!
Sigmund was dyed blue with lightning energy.
Johncena's great sword emitted a brighter light than before and resonated.
The two charged at each other simultaneously.
As their weapons clashed, the ground trembled, and shockwaves spread.
The nearby imperial troops hurried to put up a protective shield, but not many could withstand the light flashes mixed with the shockwave.
It seemed as if flashes of light were emanating from various places.
With each clash, the flashes illuminating the surroundings were nothing more than afterimages created by the movement of the two swords.
For those who couldn't ascend to their level, the only moments they could confirm the battle were when the swords collided, engaging in a contest of strength.
'Is it really the imperial sword?'
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Jin saw no openings.
Johncena thought the same, clashing swords with Jin.
I've heard that the Twelfth Flagbearer's techniques are extraordinary, but...
To this extent?
It's impossible to dominate him.
'The fight will only prolong.'
However, Jin had no intention of prolonging the battle.
Johncena was indeed a strong person, but he wasn't the core of this war.
Jin found it challenging to fight him, and if he spent too much strength, he wouldn't be able to handle the next, the reinforcements from Zipple, which would soon arrive.
First of all, as powerful as Jin's abilities were, it was absolutely impossible to defeat Zipple's main force with that alone.
Unless they sent only the Second or Third divisions.
'The Emperor wouldn't have started the war with such confidence if he had received the support of the Second and Third divisions.'
Jin had to conserve strength to stop the oncoming enemies and allow Dante and the knights of Hairan to escape.
Swish-!
Jin was pushed back, adjusting his stance.
Johncena closed the distance without hesitation, and at the same time, Sigmund stretched forward.
At a speed and angle that Johncena couldn't comprehend.
It was Runcandel's Fifth Secret Technique, Light Speed Thrust.
The thrust seemed to erase Johncena's face, but shortly after, Jin saw him stagger and readjust his posture.
The reason Johncena could dodge the Light Speed Thrust wasn't due to talent or reflexes.
It was experience.
Decades of fighting against numerous strong opponents had made his head unconsciously twist.
However, he couldn't avoid it completely.
The blade of the thrust tore off part of Johncena's right cheek and ear.
Along with the burning sensation of his flesh, a sharp buzzing filled his ears.
Johncena almost turned around to see the aftermath of the passing slash.
"What the hell, a thrust at this speed?"
Obviously, it wasn't a mortal wound.
However, the temporal stiffness due to the impact was much more incapacitating than the injuries he had just suffered.
Jin didn't waste the opportunity and executed the Light Speed Thrust again.
Like all decisive killing moves and secret techniques, the Light Speed Thrust was an especially dangerous sword when one completely ignored its existence.
Those who had reached the pinnacle could somewhat cope with the Light Speed Thrust if they were aware that an extraordinarily fast thrust could come from a blind spot.
Johncena tried to make a slash by sidestepping.
No, he tried to dodge.
If it hadn't been for the lightning that suddenly started at the impact point of the Light Speed Thrust, it would have been possible to finish the move.
Swish!
He recognized the Light Speed Thrust but didn't think about the specificity of the lightning.
The fact that Jin's Light Speed Thrust caused a replica had already been confirmed in the rear of the battlefield, but there wasn't a single person left to report it to Johncena.
Because everyone had died or fled.
The second thrust that followed pierced Johncena's shoulder.
Before he realized it, Johncena was wielding a different sword, Bradamante.
While Sigmund executed the second thrust, he threw it and lodged it between the two.
It was as if the rain of relentless lightning was fixed to the ground.
Sigmund spewed lightning, eroding the entire surrounding terrain, and Johncena screamed and raised his energy.
A bright light clashed, vivid enough to illuminate the dark battlefield, and through it, a stream of dark energy blended.
Second Technique of the Shadow Blade: Scissors.
Johncena perfectly blocked one of the black swords even as his posture collapsed, but he was unaware of the shadow force rushing from the other side.
Thanks to his explosive aura and strong body, his body was saved from being completely bisected.
But the blade that had pierced his ribs had already reached halfway into his chest.
It was very bitter to cut down a martial artist he had admired since childhood.
Johncena could no longer defend himself.
The outcome of the battle was decided.
"Hai... Ran. Please.... protect him."
He sided with the Emperor for the safety of the empire's people.
Facing death, Johncena wasn't asking for Hairan's survival.
It wasn't the rationality of an imperial knight, but what he sincerely desired was for Hairan to survive.
Jin didn't feel cowardly in his last words.
Whether it was due to respect or the fact that his most sincere wish was Hairan's survival, more than that of the people, his family, or the Empire.
In the distance, behind Johncena, a group of dragons and flying ships were approaching the Sword Emperor Castle.
It was Zipple's force.
Jin confirmed the sight and reassured Johncena.
"Don't worry, close your eyes, Johncena-nim. My Runcandel will be stronger than Zipple."
The moment Johncena breathed his last.
The other dragons also appeared in the rear of the Sword Emperor Castle on the other side of Zipple's reinforcements.
Black Dragon and Silver Dragon.
And the Dragon Knights of Hairan.
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Murakan and Quikantel saved the Dragon Knights along with Hairan's five Sword Saints.
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