C727
Kwaian of the Seven Swords wiped the sweat off Syris' forehead.
"Captain, could it be that you are experiencing a psychic attack like Sir Jin?"
"...Yes. It’s very likely that Rosa's psychic attacks have also started against the Vamel alliance and the temporary alliances. Lars, go to Tikan and assess the situation. I'll give you Mort."
"Understood."
Syris immediately got up from his seat and headed to the training grounds.
She could still see Jin sitting in meditation, apparently enduring intense pain as sweat streamed down his unmoving face.
However, screams could be heard coming from the dormitories of Gilly, Valeria, and Qwaul.
Among them, Valeria was the one affected by Rosa's psychic attack.
She was experiencing convulsions as if she had been hit harder than Syris.Blood dripped from her clenched teeth as she struggled to maintain control.
Gilly clung desperately to Valeria, who was convulsing uncontrollably.
Despite Valeria's willpower, the furious mana left residual scars on Gilly's body.
"Oh, our Valeria. How did it come to this?"
"Don’t be alarmed by her unstable mind, Sir Qwaul! It’s Rosa’s psychic attack."
"A psychic attack?"
"Gilly, hold on a little longer."
Syris created cold energy to cool Valeria's body, and after a few minutes, Valeria regained her senses.
"Hah... hah..."
Valeria panted heavily.
She was trapped in an illusion created by Rosa's psychic attack, witnessing not only her present companions but also the annihilation of her only family, the Grey Owl Mercenaries. Ɍå𐌽𝐎₿Εȿ
"Are you alright?"
At Syris' question, Valeria nodded absentmindedly.
And like Syris, she also felt deep sorrow for Jin.
From that moment on, the same thing happened in Tikan, Drakka, and the headquarters of Kinzelo and the Empire.
In each faction, one or two individuals began to experience Rosa's psychic attacks.
In Tikan, it was Kashmir; in Drakka, it was Veradin; at Kinzelo’s headquarters, it was Margiela; and in the Empire, it was Dante who suffered the attack.
Surprisingly, the group that was most affected was Kinzelo.
"Gr-Grand Duke! Have you come? Margiela is rampaging again...!"
"Please, do something about Miss Margiela!"
Desperate, Ainas and Bouvard shouted.
The basement of Kinzelo’s headquarters was being destroyed by Margiela's rampant purple energy.
In front of them, Berakt and Joe, Bianca and Ranke, and Bishkel struggled to withstand the attack.
Except for Margiela, the rest of the group didn’t show such a violent reaction even when subjected to psychic attacks.
The newly arrived Zephyrin immediately joined them.
"Bishkel-nim, you should withdraw now."
Zephyrin ran over and stood beside Bishkel, speaking.
Bishkel was in a critical state.
"She is my sister."
Though Bishkel was usually one of the calmest within Kinzelo, he always lost his composure when it came to Margiela.
"Do you think Miss Margiela would be happy to see you in such a state when she returns?"
"I still have... ugh."
Zephyrin struck Bishkel’s neck from behind.
She tossed the unconscious Bishkel towards Bouvard and raised her power.
‘At a time like this, such rampage... I hope the evil god hasn’t recognized the entity associated with Miss Margiela.’
Zephyrin joined the fight, but for a while, they struggled to subdue Margiela’s rampage.
Even though Orgal was regaining some strength and Zephyrin was also getting stronger, it was still not easy to subdue Margiela and prevent severe damage to the headquarters.
It took three hours from when Margiela started rampaging until she finally stopped.
At that moment, Orgal, who had just finished a meeting in Tikan, returned to the headquarters.
Surveying the situation, Orgal pressed his forehead in distress.
[You all have been through a lot, especially the vice leader.]
"Master, did any countermeasures for the psychic attacks come up during the meeting? If Miss Margiela keeps rampaging like this, the temporary allies might discover her true identity. It’s also a burden to carry this anxiety before the battle with the evil god."
[A countermeasure has been confirmed. But it seems we cannot do it ourselves.]
"What do you mean?"
[Jin Runcandel. He is the key once again.]
Orgal explained.
The current random psychic attacks happening across all factions would only cease if Jin emerged victorious in his battle against Rosa within himself.
[The reason why the psychic attacks, which originally only affected Jin, spread to others seems to be because he is losing in his current battle against Rosa.]
That was what Orgal had heard directly from Jin when he visited the Hidden Palace.
Jin himself said it was a "speculation," but it was almost certain.
It started when I began losing to Rosa. When I was holding up well, there was no problem. As you can see... my current state is not very good.-[Indeed. If you put on some clothes, you would look like a terminally ill patient.]
Jin had only been living in the Hidden Palace for four days.
Seeing his pathetic state, Orgal couldn’t help but wonder if Jin could return to his peak physical condition in the ten days he had left.
"Well, Master, if that demon starts losing even more..."
[More people will be exposed to psychic attacks. As we confirmed during the meeting, the number of individuals currently exposed to the evil god's psychic attacks in real-time is increasing.]
"That’s absurd."
[Since the opponent is a god, it cannot be helped. In the worst-case scenario, we might have to postpone the decisive battle... and consider other means besides Jin Runcandel.]
"Hmm. So in the end, the best we can do is stay put and pray that Sir Jin wins. While we suppress Miss Margiela, of course. At least the rest of our Kinzelo members won’t behave like this, even if they suffer from psychic attacks."
For a while, Orgal and Zephyrin remained silent as they looked at the bedridden Margiela.
----------------------
Beradin and Dante were flying over the skies of Drakka atop the Water Dragon, Tuyan.
Both had grim and haggard faces.
"Now even ordinary people are being affected by the psychic attacks, Veradin. It’s likely that the situation in the Empire is the same."
It had been a week since the psychic attacks began.
Now, people driven mad by Rosa’s voice could be seen everywhere, even among civilians.
As a result, the temporary alliance had also made the information about the psychic attacks public to the masses.
This meant that this situation would only end if Jin managed to overcome Rosa’s psychic attacks.
"Yes..."
Below Tuyan, there were people kneeling in the square, with black ribbons on their chests.
All they could do as ordinary citizens was gather in one place and express their hopes.
"At first, I didn’t understand why people gathered in the square, even at the risk of their lives. Well, to be precise, I still don’t understand it. It’s just fascinating that such actions slightly slow down the spread of despair around the world."
Naturally, since the beginning of the psychic attacks, despair had been growing on Beradin’s map, but when people gathered to support or pray for Jin, the spread of despair slowed down slightly.
"That’s the power of solidarity, Beradin."
"I suppose it could be seen that way. However, fundamentally, the end of this evil god’s psychic attack doesn’t depend on the unity of the guilty, but on the victory or defeat of a special individual named Jin. They’re simply delaying the spread of despair, albeit very slightly. It doesn’t have significant meaning in reality. It’s closer to futile acts."
Twack!
Suddenly, Dante punched Beradin in the face.
Though Beradin didn’t react, his head shook from the impact, momentarily confused.
"Why did you hit me? You know that’s a serious offense."
"Oh, no. It seems I’ve become too susceptible lately. I apologize, but my fist acted on its own without realizing it."
"I understand. But be careful, as I might not forgive you if it happens again."
"But, Beradin, can you do it?"
"Do what?"
"Can you, like them, even if just slightly, delay the spread of despair like the people gathered down there?"
"I cannot."
"In that case, don’t speak as if their actions are meaningless. Moreover, even if it’s something you can accomplish on your own, you cannot belittle those who went out to do something, no matter how futile it may seem."
"I don’t understand, but I’ll consider it. It seems that encouraging them and advancing toward the Empire would be more effective in maintaining the cohesion of our dwindling temporary alliance."
"That could be an unknown possibility. In fact, if these people gathered down there can provide even slight help to Jin, it might help him finally win the internal battle he’s fighting alone."
Dante sincerely believed that the slight delay in the spread of despair caused by these people's actions was helping Jin.
"So it would be best to encourage them and proceed towards the Empire. People are also gathering in the Empire’s square. You might question the point of us encouraging them, but it’s a very important matter. It’s also the duty of a leader."
Beradin nodded without saying a word.
Although he didn’t fully agree with Dante’s opinion, he didn’t want to cause further disturbances by getting hit again.
Above all, as Dante said, if this act could be of any help to Jin, even in the slightest, it was the right thing to do.
------------------------
It had been ten days since the psychic attacks began.
Jin was reaching his limit.
Even just sitting still and meditating was a struggle, as his body trembled under the effort, and he didn’t even dare to consume food or water.
Rosa's psychic attacks, which were spreading across the world, were growing stronger every day.
The number of civilians exposed to the attacks had skyrocketed exponentially.
What used to be around a hundred recorded cases per day in each region had now reached over a thousand.
There were only a few days left until the final battle.
In that timeframe, it seemed nearly impossible to resolve all the chaos and have Jin in optimal condition to face Rosa.
Watching from a distance could sometimes be agonizing.
Jin's comrades, who watched him in the Hidden Palace, felt the weight of that burden.
They feared that Jin might suddenly collapse and perish, feeling like they were walking on thin ice.
"...It seems we’ll have to postpone the final battle. It will be difficult for the young master to enter combat in a few days," Gilly commented while watching Jin from afar.
"Indeed, there’s also a message from the King of Tikan, Gilly. The suggestion during the council was to indefinitely postpone the battle until the psychic attacks subside," Syris revealed.
"Yes, Lady Syris. Please rest. Your complexion is terribly pale," Gilly added.
"Resting won’t change anything; this psychic attack won’t stop," Syris responded.
As Syris spoke, Jin suddenly stood up.
His trembling legs seemed about to give way, but Gilly and Syris quickly supported him.
"Young master!"
"Jin!"
"No, postponing it... won’t... change anything."
"Then?"
"Syris, I must use the Closed Training Camp now."
"I already mentioned it before, Jin, but it’s impossible for you to enter the Closed Training Camp alone in your current state. If something happens to you inside, we won’t be able to help you."
"I can’t explain it in detail. Please open the Closed Training Camp for me. It’s getting harder to even speak in this reality..."
Jin's struggle in the physical world meant the intensification of the battle being fought within him.
Now, Jin was preparing to end that battle, alone, without the comforting presence of his comrades to guide him.
Syris clenched her fists, looked Jin in the eyes, and nodded.
"Alright, I understand. I’ll open it for you right away."
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