C700
Jin was delighted with all of Bale’s unexpected actions at the Kinzelo headquarters.
Zephyrin's threats were unpleasant, and Orgal's jokes didn’t amuse him much, but Bale was intervening and handling things for him.
Kinzelo remained silent for a moment, blinking without responding to Bale’s blunt comments.
"Well, Bale, how about you show a little restraint? If you rush in, you might end up getting an unnecessary beating," Jin said, as if trying to calm Bale, but in reality, he wanted the opposite.
Jin's words had two potential effects.
First, it would provoke Bale even more, and second, it would subtly indicate to Kinzelo’s side that he had made an effort to get Bale to behave properly.
As expected, Bale shouted even more frustratedly in response to Jin's words.
[No way!]
"What do you mean 'no way'? You’ll definitely lose. After all, Orgal is the true Demon King. So stop causing trouble and stay still."Jin secretly wished to witness how Orgal would face Bale.
"It’s likely that I’ll miss seeing Orgal's detailed battle during the final confrontation. I need to focus entirely on Rosa."
Therefore, it wouldn't hurt to take a look at Orgal's recovered power and how he fought when the opportunity arose. It would be different from the time of the Terror of the Sword Emperor Castle.
[Hah, Jin. You say this because you don’t know. Yes, he may be stronger than me. But I can feel it.]
"What can you feel?"
[He can’t kill me.]
"Well, that’s obvious. We’re temporary allies, right? You’re one of the most critical forces."
[It’s not just that. It’s a more fundamental matter. With the power he possesses, he can’t kill me. That’s why, even if he hits me, I want to hit him back.]
Jin looked at Orgal, as if asking him to explain what he meant.
[Unless there’s a Genesis Knight's energy or something equivalent, perfectly erasing all traces of life is impossible. There are very rare beings like that… like the Black Sea King you faced in the past.] ṟÃNÖＢĚs
"Meaning, putting the qualifier 'perfectly' means that killing is only impossible, but sealing or something else is possible. That’s why you didn’t appear during Glyek’s Awakening…"
Jin gritted his teeth, remembering the battle at Sword Emperor Castle.
At that time, Kinzelo demanded Jin’s loyalty as a condition for participating in Glyek’s Battle.
[Bale, if you truly want to fight me, I have no choice but to partially seal your power. It’s to ensure there won’t be fatal problems for our alliance. Therefore, Jin will actively intervene to prevent it.]
"Uh, you’re going to do that. Today really isn’t my lucky day, Orgal."
[It’s just another ordinary day, isn’t it?]
Without the Genesis Knight's energy or something equivalent, it’s impossible to completely erase life traces.
Jin pondered that fact for a moment.
In the end, that means that to kill Orgal, the Genesis Knight's power is definitely necessary.
Considering the power Orgal possessed from the beginning, even excluding the characteristics of the Sun God's Authority, it was natural that the Genesis Knight's power would be necessary.
However, there was a strange point.
"But why did Bale acknowledge his defeat to me in that sealed field? If what Orgal said is true, then I wouldn’t be able to kill Bale."
At this moment, Bale was definitely challenging Orgal, not the kind that submits just because the opponent seems stronger.
Bale had never encountered the Sun God, but he was aware that he himself was a divine being, and he was equally arrogant and independent.
"Could it be because he realized that I’m Lady Sarah's successor?"
It wasn’t a problem to ponder at that moment.
When Jin gestured, Bale turned his gaze away from Orgal with a proud air.
"Well, it seems that we’ve roughly fulfilled our mutual promise, Orgal. Now let’s talk about Rosa as allies."
[About why Rosa is progressing faster than I expected?]
"Yes. There are some strange aspects in Rosa's actions."
[Tell me.]
"First, at this point, Rosa has become an evil god to the extent that even powerful individuals like Sir Padler, whom we cornered in the Kaldran Snowfield, are no longer necessary. It’s hard to explain with evidence, but it’s something I felt myself."
[It’s impossible that you’re saying nonsense about this matter, so I believe you. It’s not entirely impossible.]
"But Rosa suddenly started using Joshua again. Moreover, he gave an even more incompetent impression than before and failed in all the recent tasks assigned to him. I blocked him every time. This is the point I find strange."
[So, you mean there’s no reason for the evil god to keep such a pathetic individual by her side?]
"Yes. After meeting him in Akin, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Why does Rosa have such a waste by her side…"
Jin paused for a few seconds to organize his thoughts before fixing his gaze on Orgal.
"Suddenly, I remembered what you said during our first encounter."
-[There’s only one thing my daughters expect. The resurrection of my former lover, Heluram.]
-So, is that why they use humans as sacrifices?
-[Not exactly the humans themselves. Of course, they need things like human flesh and bones, but the real deal is despair. Only pure and abundant despair can awaken Heluram.]
Despair.
Jin, perhaps unintentionally, had assumed that Rosa was using Joshua to obtain pure despair.
When Jin explained this, Orgal’s eyes widened in surprise.
[...It’s an interesting story, Jin Runcandel. If that’s the case, it’s also possible that the acceleration of the evil god's completion is related to that.]
"If, in your opinion, my thoughts are correct, what do you think?"
[The Second Flagbearer of Runcandel had such an insignificant presence that I had forgotten about him. Human jealousy can be astonishing, to the point of surprising the gods. If the magnitude of his inferiority complex is deep and dark enough to be significant for the evil god, then anything is possible. It’s something I hadn’t thought of at all.]
"In that case… does it mean that Joshua performing well in his tasks is actually an inconvenience for Rosa?"
However, it wasn’t a feasible plan to intentionally lose to Joshua to prevent Rosa from harvesting his despair.
If he succeeded in any task that Rosa assigned him, it meant that Jin and those around him would be injured or killed.
There was only one solution.
"It means we have to find Joshua and completely eliminate him so that Rosa can’t use him anymore."
[That seems to be the only solution.]
"Since Rosa is protecting Joshua, it won’t be easy."
It was a natural assumption. Rosa wouldn’t leave someone with such utility to his fate.
There must have been meticulous and impenetrable protection, astute enough to evade Joshua’s awareness, yet impossible to eliminate by anyone.
That was also the reason why Bale had let Joshua escape in the Akin forest.
"Protection… just thinking about it makes me sick."
Jin felt overwhelmed by a nauseating sensation.
It was repulsive.
The fact that there were still humans who couldn’t escape the arms of someone who had turned them into puppets to produce despair.
The fact that there existed a mother who would send her son further into the abyss, even after they had fallen into despair, as long as it served her purpose.
[Are you okay?]
Jin managed to suppress the growing sense of revulsion and nodded.
"I’m fine. Anyway, whether my assumptions are correct or not, we must eliminate Joshua before the decisive battle."
[I agree. If the day comes when Joshua Runcandel is alive and not in despair, it will be your despair. You are a much more significant existence for the Evil God than Joshua… Your despair would be a much better ingredient for her. To awaken Heluram…]
Jin began to doubt whether despair was really what awakened Heluram, as Rosa seemed to be preparing to become an evil god herself rather than to awaken Heluram.
Above all, Jin couldn’t imagine Rosa as a servant of Heluram, like a prophetess.
Who could she be below?
Damn it…
The more I think about it, the more complicated it gets.
At least there was one thing he was grateful for.
Orgal had just recovered a part of his former power.
"In that case, now you have a task, Orgal. You’ve rested in bed long enough. It’s time to move."
[Do you mean that I should kill Joshua?]
"I’m not saying it would be easy with the amount of power you’ve recovered, right?"
[Well, it depends on how much the Evil God cares. But even without you saying it, I was already considering looking for him. If the Evil God’s protection is as deep as it seems, I’ll at least confirm if Joshua’s despair is truly being used by her.]
"Good. You’re making the efforts to bring Bale here more rewarding. Let’s hope for significant news the next time we meet."
When Jin seemed about to leave, Orgal waved his hand and opened a dimensional portal of steel.
Beyond the portal, the seas of Tikan could be seen.
[If you wish, you can use it.]
Although it appeared to be considerate, Jin recognized it as a warning disguised as consideration.
As allies, if Jin engaged in frivolous actions, Tikan could be reached in an instant.
Unlike before, Orgal seemed to open the dimensional portal effortlessly.
"I understand your consideration, but there’s a journey waiting for me. You know it’s Spatial Transfer."
When Jin responded similarly, Orgal smiled with satisfaction.
[Well, as you said, it’s a favor. Until next time.]
After leaving Kinzelo's headquarters and boarding the Red Owl, Bale looked at Jin with a puzzled expression.
"Hey, Jin."
"What?"
"The reason I lost to you initially is the fire you possess."
Jin was about to ask why he was bringing that up, but he remembered his thoughts from the meeting in Kinzelo’s conference room.
"Really? I had wondered about that before. It didn’t seem like I was stronger just because of the fire, but if it’s because of the fire, I guess it was true."
"No, you don’t know, but your fire is very special. And it can also affect him. So, someday, we’re going to defeat him together. Understood?"
After a moment of hesitation, Jin understood why Bale was saying that.
"Sure, I understand. Someday we’ll defeat him together."
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