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Of course, Ron wasn't crazed with pain over losing Dante, nor was he baselessly claiming that Dante was still alive.
"Ron-nim, Dante... is he still alive?"
Ron nodded, and Jin barely managed to calm his emotions, surging like a torrent.
His heart raced, as if it had reached its limit.
Since the beginning of the war, Jin never once gave up on Dante.
Even when the monster that devoured his friend spoke his last will had disappeared, even after the moment when the hesitation of his sword and spear piercing both him and Ron completely faded, even when he was trapped in this subspace.
Jin still believed that the existence of Dante Hairan had not completely disappeared from this world.
Or more precisely, he wanted to believe it.
Because he couldn't bear this dreadful struggle if he thought Dante had completely vanished.Indeed, deep down, Jin couldn't shake off the idea that Dante was already dead.
"I can feel his energy. At the end of this subspace..."
The enlightenment Ron gained as soon as he encountered the light of the Genesis Knight.
It was revealing the "truth" that had been covered by the curtain of Chaos until now.
This subspace wasn't created solely from Chaos; it was Gliek's innermost being.
And as the aftermath of the long sealing hadn't fully disappeared, and the Black Sea hadn't fully reconciled, Gliek still hadn't realized what lay beneath his own depths.
Dante Hairan.
His will, which Gliek claimed had extinguished, still persisted in a corner of his abyss, resisting.
It's faint like an infinitely distant star, but it undeniably exists.
Even if it's in a state of "unconsciousness."
In other words, it was Dante's will that left Gliek unconscious that led Ron into the subspace with Jin.
So that Jin wouldn't plunge alone into this fearsome place, and to prevent him from disappearing here in solitude without any hope, there was only one person who could help him: his grandfather.
Dante was also like Jin and Ron in this respect.
He, too, had never made a decision for himself in this horrible struggle.
"From now on, I will go to rescue that child."
Ron's voice trembled slightly.
It trembled with excitement, certainty that Dante was out there, but more than that.
Fear.
Fear of not being able to save Dante even after reaching the level of a Genesis Knight, fear of whether he would ever be able to cut down Gliek alone, fear that the hope he finally gained might disappear like a bubble...
Those feelings were buried together in Ron's voice.
It was an emotion he hadn't felt even when he was immersed in the demonic heart and subjected to demonization.
The dry and cold heart of the being who had just ascended to the domain of the Genesis Knight couldn't completely erase the inherent fear.
It indicated how serious Ron was.
Despair, death, and demonization had nothing to do with him.
Yearning for his grandson was making him tremble.
"I'm scared."
Ron confessed the emotion to Jin.
"So, will you go with this old man? Can you do that?"
"Of course."
"In life."
Suddenly, Ron tilted his head to Jin.
Jin couldn't react, but he didn't show a sigh of surprise.
"I will remember it as an honor that won't be repeated."
With those words, Ron turned around.
Rashid emitted a glow.
That blade shone brighter than any sword Jin had ever seen.
The light of the Genesis Knight that reached Ron had an attribute completely different from Cyron's.
If Cyron's Genesis Knight attribute was akin to the essence of the domain, Ron's light was righteousness/justice itself.
Therefore, unlike Cyron, his sword wasn't meant to break, cut, or kill.
It was a sword destined to preserve, protect, and save.
Hairan has shared the history of the Empire, and for most of that time, they have always sought the safety of their people, not usurpation, even if they had power ahead of the empire.
Even though Hairan decided to embrace the White Stone, they had borne it alone for fear of the disaster the power would bring to the world, and they have never been greedy.
The long years of guard, from ancestors to the present, were now illuminating the darkness through the sword symbolizing the patriarch of Hairan.
The subspace, responding to that light, vibrated even more intensely.
It seemed like Gliek's resentment and anger would materialize at any moment and attack the two.
Indeed, Gliek had planned to do so, but he was blocked by the repulsive power of the glow emanating from Rashid.
Then, when Ron gently swung his sword, the subspace earthquake stopped.
In its place, a hissing wind blew from all directions, which was Gliek's agonizing cry full of suffering.
The power of the Genesis Knight going against fate was finally hurting Gliek.
It was the first time Gliek felt pain in thousands of years.
A sound like sand swept by the wind was heard.
The faint sound rapidly amplified, causing an intense resonance throughout the subspace, and the next moment.
Jin could confirm that the empty darkness of the subspace, which seemed never to fade, was dispersing.
A crack was forming in the subspace.
As if a closed door were breaking.
When Ron traversed the space in a straight line again, a new path that hadn't been seen before opened.
The passage opened like the jaws of a dead beast and led to Gliek's abyss.
The landscape beyond was completely different from the subspace, which maintained a solid and stable form until it vibrated.
It was a vast Chaos, raging like a stormy sea.
There came a point when Jin wondered if he could really cross that hellish landscape even though a Genesis Knight was by his side.
However, the two entered the abyss without thinking for a second.
Holding two swords that shone like lanterns.
"Do not force yourself to fight if you're unable, and hide behind me."
"I hope it doesn't come to that, but I might not be able to cross without relying on your strength."
"Isn't it always like that? That's why I asked you to come with me, trusting you in the first place."
As soon as they entered the abyss passage, Chaos as sharp as a needle stabbed both of them.
Each had a power that was too much for Jin. Jin hid behind a shield named Ron whenever he felt overwhelmed.
These were not just physical attacks.
Like before, the Chaos energy continued to taint his mind.
But unlike before, Jin was unaffected by the Chaos trying to erode his mind.
Ron cut the Chaos needle with his sword and used his aura to block attacks to both his and Jin's souls.
Only Cyron and Ron can traverse this long abyssal passageway.
Without the power of the Genesis Knight, preventing soul erosion was impossible.
But Ron was the only one who could walk this path with another person.
It was because Cyron's Genesis Knight power couldn't protect others from the mental corruption caused by Chaos.
Like a ship tossed by a storm, the two swayed and stumbled occasionally, but it was clear they were making progress.
As they approached, Gliek desperately blocked the entrance.
However, even though it looked like they were going to collapse, they endured several times, and not once did they show a crushed expression.
It was as if an unbreakable stone rolled down a cliff.
Contrary to before, now it was Gliek whose interior was eroding, not them.
And he still didn't know.
Why did those hateful humans venture so far into his abyss at such risk?
If they want to kill him, it's better to come out and join other humans than to destroy the abyss, which is completely incomprehensible.
He still didn't know that Dante was bound at the bottom of his abyss.
"It seems like we're almost there..." Ron said with a tired voice.
Before they knew it, the two were nearing the end of the corridor.
Originally, Ron's power shouldn't be depleted even after traversing the waves of Chaos, but because he shared a portion of the Genesis Knight power with Jin, it was inevitable.
However, his exhaustion didn't prevent him from completing the rest of his mission.
Kaaaaaa..!
Gliek's ceaseless screams faded away.
In the end, the Chaos reaction was incomparably weaker than at the beginning.
It meant that the end of this abyss was a realm not under Gliek's control.
He had been able to control this place after the Black Sea had progressed a little more.
Dante would have truly perished if he had control of it.
Finally...
The two faced a chaotic space that didn't attack them.
Instead of Chaos, a gentle black energy surrounded the two, reminiscent of Shadow Energy.
And they saw.
The White Stone...
Just as it was in the Sword Emperor Castle before it broke, and the sealed figure of Dante began to appear within.
It was darkened by the seal but was clearly recognizable.
In this silent and chaotic landscape, which had come to an end after overcoming and transcending so much despair, the two couldn't even speak Dante's name.
Ron's eyes were moist as he swung his sword against the seal.
The barrier was dispersed with a single sword, and finally.
Ron could embrace his grandson, who had been liberated from Chaos.
A lump formed in his throat, and he couldn't say anything for a while.
"Grandfa..."
Jin's voice choked up, and he couldn't speak either.
Meanwhile, Dante spoke with a weak voice, making their hearts weigh even more.
"I, managed to overcome everything... But fell for his trick in the end... I'm a fool..."
"It's okay, Dante. It's okay, my beloved grandson...."
Ron couldn't help but burst into tears like a child.
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