C557
"Retreat, everyone!"
Talaris quickly regained her composure.
Instead of the inner castle, a massive ice barrier extended in all directions, encompassing Talaris's full strength, except for the power used to bind Elona Zipple's seal.
However, Chaos energy pierced through it effortlessly.
The advancing Chaos hitting her and Jin's group could be delayed a bit, but that was all.
"Kkugh!"
Talaris, herself, spat out blood again and widened her eyes.
Her eyes twitched, and her grip on the sword trembled.
She wasn't trembling in fear, but neither without apprehension.The Chaos tsunami emanating from the White Stone was so vast that even she couldn't comprehend it.
-It might be hard to believe, but if you can use that White Stone, it has the power to support the entire magical equipment of the empire and make the empire many times stronger in an instant.
The traitor Tion Hairan's testimony.
-Now, it has been proven that large-scale reinforcements are coming. The White Stone is something indispensable for them. But we still don't know what it is.
Rosa's evaluation.
-The previous Hidden Palace Master left a record that Hairan had something that could be a threat to the world. Our Hidden Palace speculates that the object Hairan has is the witch Helluram.
-...It's a seal that can resist even the absolute power of Full Ice. Do you understand what this means? It means there is a Chaos even I cannot handle.
Talaris's speculation.
All those stories were wrong or incomplete.
What slept in the White Stone was an existence far beyond their expectations.
The King of the Black Sea.
Gliek.
The Fifth Ruler of Chaos.
The only one who knew his true identity was Kinzelo.
Not even Kelliark expected that Gliek was sealed in the White Stone.
Full Ice emitted a dazzling glow.
Its energy, which would normally illuminate the entire area, was as weak as a candle against Gliek's Chaos.
The Full Ice Sword unfolded.
If she hesitated even for a moment, at that moment, neither she nor Jin's group would be safe.
Third Technique: Avalanche
Fourth Technique: Frost Crush.
Tenth Technique: Glacier Slash.
A ghostly white sword, infused with Talaris's essence, spread amidst the chaos.
The Chaos received all of Full Ice's attacks as if mocking them.
'The White Stone was a King of the Black Sea...!'
Full Ice assimilated even more with Talaris, releasing a harsh resonant sound like a roar.
The rushing chaos showed signs of slowing down for the first time at that moment.
Full Ice's Final Technique.
White.
While Talaris struck the ground with Full Ice, ice flowers bloomed everywhere like mountains.
The glacial ice, absurdly sharp and hard, enveloped the space at a speed close to that of light.
Talaris, herself, trembled, and dark blood flowed continuously from her mouth and nose.
Along with Elona's seal, she had been single-handedly guarding the tumult of the White Stone, so even Talaris couldn't help but feel overwhelmed.
Huh, huh, and Talaris breathed heavily, amplifying the energy of the final technique, White.
She seemed to be fighting against the chaos.
She was desperately blocking the Chaos trying to break out by crushing White's sword.
"Damn it... Why is that here and not in the Black Sea?"
Saying that, Talaris's face turned pale.
Her hair was already disheveled, and sweat poured down her body, and the sword formed by the power of White wavered unsteadily as if it would be torn from the ground at any moment.
Talaris Endorma, the Hidden Palace Master and world-renowned strongwoman even acknowledged by Cyron, faced a crisis as Chaos awakened.
"Talaris-nim!"
"Jin, listen carefully. Maybe even with everyone on the battlefield joining forces... those bastards out there!"
The space where Talaris was blocking the Chaos was extremely limited.
Chaos was already spreading across the battlefield beyond the ice formations...
Although it had not yet broken the final move, White.
Talaris was only buying time.
Time for Ron, Kelliark, Runcandel, and Zipple outside to push the Chaos a bit.
If the final move broke inside, that was the end.
"And that thing, kugh, wants you...!"
The Black Sea King's resentment directed straight at the shadow.
Talaris, herself, keenly felt that hatred while resisting the Chaos.
It was so difficult for her to fend off the Chaos, and the hatred was aimed at Jin, not herself.
Jin felt the same.
He sensed that the Chaos was directed at him as soon as it awakened.
Such thick hatred that it almost seemed to have a form weighed on Jin's entire body.
A sense of oppression that seemed to petrify his body, as if his father were displaying fighting spirit by focusing on himself.
If it weren't for Talaris, Jin wouldn't have survived this time.
He alone could do nothing, his companions were tired, and the Dragons they had to protect were not the same as before or their forces were depleted.
Moreover, the enemy was so massive and strong that it had no comparison to anything Jin and his companions had faced, and the time Talaris could hold out wasn't much.
After the final move, White ended, she needed a break to properly recover her strength and regain some of the power used for Elona Zipple's seal.
If the Emperor hadn't made a deal with Zipple, if Zipple hadn't revealed such unbridled greed, if the world hadn't cornered Hairan and the Sword Emperor Castle....
That horrifying being would never have awakened in the human world.
Thud.
The blood flowing from Talaris's face left red stains on the icy ground.
And another problem arose within the territory of White that Talaris formed.
[Kuuk-! Kwaak!]
Suddenly, Amela's eyes rolled back, and she was having convulsions.
It was because the Chaos within her was reacting to Gliek's energy and going out of control.
If Yona hadn't stepped on her Chaos once, Amela would have gone mad and attacked her allies within seconds.
[What, what should I do, aghhh!]
Even Lata and Fey were also sitting and groaning.
Even the faint scent of Chaos inherited from Smarion was responding to Gliek's power.
"My lord, if I ever attack my comrades, do not hesitate to finish me. Even right now... my sanity... is fading away!"
Lata used her willpower by stabbing herself in the thigh and shoulder, barely regaining consciousness, but she could no longer continue the fight.
"Leader of the Phantom Legion!"
"Lata, Fey!"
The territory of White was crumbling.
Jin had to judge what he could do.
At this rate...
'Talaris-nim and all my comrades are in danger. I have to find a way to do it...!'
The Special Technique of the Shadow Blade.
Black Light Call...
That technique was still unavailable.
'Instead, Stam-nim and the Black Knights behind me.'
Stam and the Black Knights, just outside the broken castle, were now facing Chaos, not Spectres.
There was no time for swords and staffs.
'Stam-nim received the order to save me from the Family. Also, due to the location, Stam-nim is also assisted by Talaris-nim.'
As expected, Stam was now fighting to enter the territory of White.
It was because he judged that none of his comrades would be able to defend Jin the moment the final move, White, was pierced.
"Talaris-nim, is it possible to harvest some of the scattered forces from the rear?"
Talaris understood immediately.
Before Gliek awakened, she had also felt the presence of Stam and the Black Knights.
She couldn't think because she was frantically trying to keep the chaos at bay.
"Stam and the Black Knights. But Jin, it's a risky bet. Chaos will enter as soon as White from the rear disappears."
Before responding, Jin was anxiously chanting an invocation spell.
To summon his Phoenix, which had been recovering after infusing part of its power into Bradamante last year.
It wasn't a random act of luck.
'As soon as Chaos awakens, the blue flames residing in Bradamante reacted intensely. Just like when Tess forcibly manifested using my power in old Oterium.'
Jin's fervent wish received a response within seconds.
First of all...
Tess had been preparing for the manifestation right after Gliek was released from the White Stone.
Tess hadn't fully recovered her strength yet, but now was not the time to argue about that.
Tess stepped out of the summoning circle, showing the dignity of the Master of the World of Flames.
Moreover, unlike in old Oterium, Tess didn't use Jin's power as a guarantee to bring forth her own abilities.
Tess used the authority as the owner of the World of Flames to purify part of the chaos spreading everywhere and use it as a medium.
Tess couldn't use chaos as a medium indefinitely.
Even for Tess, exposing herself to chaos in this way was obviously dangerous, but she judged it was better than risking the contractor's life.
"Tess!"
Tess?
"Oh, how glad I am to see you!"
Jin, Misha, and Murakan shouted at the same time, and when Tess appeared, the Chaos that weighed again on the ice formation showed signs of retreating.
At the same time...
Talaris broke part of the ice formation in the rear, and Stam and the Black Knights entered.
Octavia and the Spectres were nowhere to be seen.
They were retreating to the main unit to escape the Chaos.
"Twelfth Flagbearer!"
"Fortunately, you're unharmed!"
Crack-!
Then, the ice formation in the front exploded and shattered, and the Chaos that had hesitated poured inside.
Stam and the Black Knights advanced without hesitation and brandished their swords in favor of Talaris, even though they didn't act to save her or other allies.
The situation simply didn't allow rescuing only Jin.
Anyway, thanks to them, Talaris could catch her breath for a moment, and Jin and his comrades could hear the voices of the two people shouting and giving orders from the outside.
"All Knights of Runcandel, protect the Twelfth Flagbearer, by all means!"
"Secure Jin Runcandel, he must not be consumed by Chaos under any circumstances!"
Rosa Runcandel and Kelliark Zipple.
Following the orders of their respective leaders, all members of Runcandel and Zipple rushed to save Jin.
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KO-FI
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