C726
The Tomb of Swords
Huphester called the newly constructed castle in the Garden of Swords by this name.
The Huphester press was full of praise for the power of Rosa and the chaos army that tirelessly built the castle.
The temporary alliance had been holding strategy meetings day and night, gathering information about the Tomb of Swords. Orgal had been patrolling the surroundings of the Garden of Swords through the steel gate every day.
"Judging by its appearance, it already seems complete... Such a gigantic castle? It's only been two days since the first report arrived!"
"To think that she can exert such power without even recovering the strength she gave to the Fourth Flagbearer. Truly, a god is a god."
Octavia and Beradin said. The others in the room also showed signs of shock.
Compared to the old Vermont palace, the colossal fortress had been completed in just a few days, so it was natural.
It was also a totally unexpected event.The only remaining problems for the temporary alliance were the incomplete battleship Ram and Rosa's injury.
The matter of such a massive fortress, like a castle, unprecedented in the history of mankind, was not something they had to consider.
Conversations about the castle continued for a while.
The true reasons why Rosa built the castle, what she hoped to gain from it, and whether the temporary alliance forces could penetrate the structure of chaos.
Of course, no clear conclusion could be reached.
However, there was a prevailing opinion regarding the "purpose" behind Rosa's construction of the castle.
"It seems to be a measure to recover from the blow caused by the death of the Fourth Flagbearer. It's a sort of display. She still believes she possesses that much power."
Ronil nodded at Kadun's words.
"I think so too. Although the castle was finished so quickly, the construction of the battleship Ram, the true symbol of the authority and strength of the god of evil, remains paralyzed."
"A display, you say..."
As Jin spoke, everyone's attention turned to him.
Jin's face was noticeably paler than during the first meeting. He had dark circles under his eyes and disheveled hair. His face looked exhausted.
This was due to the nightmares.
Since Rosa began constructing the castle, Jin had suffered intense nightmares every night.
Nightmares related to Rosa.
It wasn't psychological pressure or anxiety causing the nightmares.
Rosa's power and will infiltrated directly into Jin's mind, just as Gliek of the white stone had ravaged Dante's inner being.
As a result, Jin constantly struggled against her will, even while sleeping.
No, even when he was awake, he constantly felt her influence without a moment's respite.
The members of the alliance and his comrades were aware of this fact.
Although the decisive battle had not yet begun, it could be said that the "inner battle" between Jin and Rosa had already started.
"She doesn't need such things."
It was a decisive statement.
After the first major attack, only Jin had "directly" experienced Rosa's power within the temporary alliance.
That's why Jin found Kadun's boast about displays to be ridiculous.
"What do you think then, Twelfth Flagbearer?"
"It's like a grand tomb, as its name suggests. A tomb where I will be buried."
A moment of silence passed.
Jin carefully observed the allies and comrades around him.
There was a sense of unease in their eyes as they looked at Jin.
Jin was the only opponent of Rosa.
It was no exaggeration to say that everything depended on the face-to-face battle between him and Rosa in the imminent confrontation.
With each passing day, Jin felt more and more overwhelmed by Rosa's power, even before the combat had begun, and it was natural that he was worried.
[Considering the obsessions the evil god has shown so far, it might be possible.]
When Orgal spoke, Jin nodded.
"We won't have the opportunity to analyze the structure of the castle or assess its internal power. It will be a single battle, a single result. That will determine our... no, the world's fate." ＲἈΝօ฿ЕṦ
Jin stood up from his seat.
"In two weeks."
[Two weeks?]
"Then I will attack in the Garden of Swords. I'll prepare to overcome Rosa's nightmares and fight in my best condition by then. The temporary allies can finish their preparations during that period."
"And if you can't overcome Rosa's nightmares by then?"
"In that case, we will have to postpone the date. There's no point in going into battle in this state when it's impossible to win. It's a rhetorical question, Beradin. On the other hand, if I manage to expel Rosa's power and return to my original state before that date, we will launch the assault immediately."
"That means we could depart as early as tomorrow. Understood, I will prepare. Kinzelo, do you agree?"
[I agree.]
"From now until the final battle, will I only participate in these meetings when there's something absolutely necessary for me to be present for?"
It was a message indicating that Jin would focus on improving his physical condition. Overcoming the nightmares as soon as possible was far more important than Jin's direct participation in the meetings.
"Alright. The detailed operations will still be broadcast anyway, so feel free to express your opinions whenever you have them."
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From that day, Jin spent his time in the Hidden Palace.
There was no better place than the Hidden Palace to end the inner battle he was waging against Rosa's power without worrying about anything else.
The only companions who came with him to the Hidden Palace were Gilly, Valeria, and Qwaul.
In that quiet and cold space, Jin spent much time sitting cross-legged, practicing meditation.
Though it couldn't be seen by others, a fierce battle was unfolding within Jin at every moment.
When he opened his eyes, Rosa's voice echoed in his mind, and when he closed them, Rosa's sword appeared in his heart.
When he slept, Jin dreamed that Rosa was killing him and his loved ones, and he could only watch helplessly.
It was a constant struggle to distinguish whether it was reality or a dream.
For this reason, the method Jin chose was to minimize sleep and focus on meditation. There was no other way to resist Rosa's mental attacks.
"You know those tricks don't work on me."
"I admit they have some effect. But if I win this fight, it seems like you'll lose something too."
Well...
If there's something I have left to lose, it's you, my child. You're the last joy I have."
Jin's inner conversation couldn't be heard by others, but he conveyed the content to his frustrated comrades.
"Ugh."
A group of small beast-men at the entrance of the training ground looked at Jin with bowed heads.
They were members of the Golden Peng and Watertails tribes.
"Look, Jin. It's tough, he'll die, he can't."
"Oh, what do you mean by die! Hmm, he doesn't seem to have a shred of color in his face, like he's severely ill. His body looks dehydrated, but he's sweating a lot. And he keeps groaning, it's distressing."
Darkflame and Peng expressed their concern.
"Does he need some medicine or something?"
"We have eel jerky. Should we give it to him? Jin. It gives strength when you eat it."
"Do you think it would work? Eh? Eh, isn't there some kind of elixir in the Hidden Palace? Why doesn't the Hidden Palace Master bring it out quickly? Is he saving it for something?"
"No, medicines like that are useless, that's why."
Suddenly, Syris's voice was heard, and Peng covered his mouth.
In an instant, Syris was also stretching her head towards Jin like the small beast-men.
"Wow, what a surprise. It doesn't seem like I'm gossiping behind your back, Acting Hidden Palace Master. It's just that I was worried about him and said those things. Haha."
"That's right, Peng spoke behind your back."
"Anyway, you only speak properly at times like this!"
Syris ruffled the small beast-men's heads while pressing her index finger against her lips.
She wanted to remain silent and not disturb Jin's meditation.
Every day was like this. Jin meditated while his comrades watched him from a distance, never losing sight of him.
It was as if an entire family was cautiously surrounding someone preparing for a great trial.
One day, Syris asked Jin a question.
"Jin, I can give you my mother's Closed Training Camp. Why do you insist on the public training ground?"
"Because it's a bit better to feel the presence of close people."
Syris looked at Jin, surprised by his unexpected response.
"To resist the attacks of the evil god?"
"That's right. Knowing that comrades are nearby sometimes serves as a reference point. When my self is sinking, and I'm about to be overwhelmed by Rosa's psychic attacks, if I suddenly hear the voice, footsteps, or cough of a comrade, it helps me regain composure."
"You mean you need a moderate level of familiar noise."
"Exactly, Lady Syris. If there's too much noise, I won't be able to concentrate on resisting the psychic attacks."
"It's hard to believe that someone as strong as you could feel so overwhelmed by psychic attacks, even seeing it with my own eyes."
"It's just... It feels like being bound and sinking into the abyss, and as you go deeper, you start to see the bodies of the people you care about. It's a feeling of that horror that persists 24/7 at the boundary between reality and psychic attacks."
"Seriously desperate. Is there any improvement?" Syris cautiously asked again.
Jin's face was much worse than the first day he arrived at the Hidden Palace.
"To be honest, I don't know. And... when the time comes to completely end the psychic attacks, that's when the Closed Training Camp will be necessary."
"In the end, there will be a moment when you'll have to fight alone."
"Yes. It's just a hunch, but that will undoubtedly happen."
As comrades, they couldn't help but feel frustrated.
Before the temporary alliance launched a large-scale attack, Jin was already fighting a difficult and lonely battle.
Therefore, the comrades could only vaguely imagine the struggle Jin was going through and encourage him.
However, since Jin arrived at the Hidden Palace...
Rosa's psychic attacks began to extend to his comrades, including key figures of the temporary alliance.
The first to have similar nightmares to Jin was Syris.
"Ahhh!"
"Acting Master!"
"Captain!"
Upon hearing Syris's scream, the Seven Swords of the Hidden Palace and the guards hurriedly entered the Hidden Palace Master's chamber.
They saw Syris, drenched in sweat and trembling all over.
It was the first time they had seen Syris so terrified.
Syris closed her eyes and took a deep breath; she wasn't as terrified even when she had a nightmare inside, and she showed no signs of distress even when she was training hard as the next Hidden Palace Master.
"Captain, are you okay?"
"Ugh, huh... Jin, where is Jin?"
"Captain?"
"Do you suffer from this... every day?"
Syris said that, and for a moment, she couldn't think clearly.
As Rosa's terrifying presence paralyzed her body, an unbearable feeling of pity overcame her for Jin.
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