C732
In response to Jin's determination, the fleet fired cannons, and the dragons unleashed their breath.
The remnants of Chaos Dragons and Black Ships were rusting away in the shockwave.
Jin kept his eyes focused on the interior of the gate amidst the chaotic saturation.
He sensed that the Shadow Energy emanating from within was rapidly intensifying.
"A knight, perhaps. There’s some weight to it."
A sharp hostility emanated from within the fortress, piercing his skin.
He didn't expect to engage in combat with Rosa as soon as he entered the fortress. After all, he hadn’t come alone either.
"Bale."
[What?]"That guy coming out from inside seems quite arrogant. Go see what he's up to."
"That’s a good idea."
After Jin's words, Hedo intervened, and Bale frowned.
[You want me to go in through the gate alone?]
"Yes. There’s no one more suited than you to explore those dark areas. Sending a Nameless One would take too long. Besides, if a situation arises where a special power like a barrier is needed from within, you should be able to escape more easily, right?"
[Ha.]
Bale sighed and spread his two wings.
His anger toward Jin and Hedo ignited like a scorching power from the edge of Shakan’s blade.
[Damn it, how did I end up in this situation!]
Bang!
Bale headed toward the gate, kicking up a cloud of dust.
The allies watched tensely as his figure disappeared through the gate.
Even after Bale entered, there was no significant change inside the fortress.
However, after about thirty seconds, most of the allies couldn’t help but gasp and sigh.
It was because a formidable knight emerged from the fortress, gripping Bale's head with his left hand and dragging him across the ground.
In his right hand, he held a long sword, more than twice as long.
[I wanted to see how impressive this guy was, given how much the matriarch cares.]
Clang! Swish!
The knight threw Bale in front of him and spat on the ground.
Just like Lionel and other knights of Chaos, a faint indigo glow ran through his entire body.
Only knights who had escaped the mausoleum had that form.
[What a disappointment. I expected someone who could sweep this place clean on their own. But instead, you send this kind of doll first... Disappointed, disappointed, totally disappointed.] ℞𝐚ꞐộʙĚṤ
As he spoke, Jin shook his head.
"He's let his guard down."
"He's let his guard down."
Jin and Hedo spoke simultaneously.
The fact that all the allies witnessed Bale’s pathetic state sent a chill down their spines.
"In any case, it’s a super-regeneration issue, Hedo-nim."
"Yes, as long as the belief that one cannot easily die exists, it leads to these kinds of situations. That useless guy is now trying to undermine the morale of the allies that you worked so hard to raise."
"It’s my fault for trusting Bale; there’s nothing more to say."
[Hey, when someone’s talking, you should listen, you know?]
"That guy is also being careless. There must have been numerous unfavorable reports about Bale for the side of the evil god. I don’t understand where such arrogance comes from."
"Maybe it’s a skill... Hmm!"
Ching!
Suddenly, a sharp flash emanated from the knight’s long sword.
The Fifth Secret Technique of Runcandel, the Light Speed Thrust, had passed between Jin and Hedo.
[You have no guts, and even less pride. Although you’re committing treason now, I’ve heard that until recently, you were the most esteemed Flagbearer of Runcandel. Even though we’re fighting, isn’t it proper to show me respect first? Surely you understand the importance of being buried in the mausoleum.]
Jin couldn’t help but chuckle in disbelief.
"A person who devoted themselves to Runcandel, alive or dead. Someone who sacrificed body and soul for the preservation and prosperity of the clan. No matter what calamity occurred, they would firmly protect the clan until the end."
[You know it well. So?]
"Why is that person standing there?"
[What?]
"You probably fulfilled nearly all the conditions I just mentioned during your life. That’s why you could be buried in the mausoleum. But now, where is your soul headed? When the evil god is pushing the clan to the brink of destruction, what are you doing standing there to support it?"
The knight stared at Jin without responding.
[Someone who never became patriarch dares to lecture me...?]
"It doesn’t matter if you were the patriarch or an ordinary knight. What matters is whether you fulfill your duty after awakening from the mausoleum. That’s all that matters. I’m giving you the chance to fulfill that duty for the first and last time. Join me immediately and prove that Runcandel’s fight will not falter against the power of the evil god."
[This is getting more absurd!]
"Will you answer my words?"
Swing! The man spat once more.
[Did you get a response? I am Senga Runcandel! The Eleventh Patriarch of the Family and the one who has returned from death once more for the sake of Runcandel.]
"Senga, I will strip you of the qualification to be enshrined in the mausoleum and the home of Runcandel."
As Senga was about to respond, Jin took a deep breath and kept his gaze on Bale, who lay motionless in front of the gate.
"Bale! Stop playing dead and get up to finish him."
[Tsk...]
Bale slowly stood up.
As Jin and Hedo had said, the reason Bale was dragged, humiliated, and had his hair grabbed was because he had let his guard down.
As soon as he entered the castle, Senga’s sword pierced his chest, and then an explosion of aura burst from his body, nearly shattering him.
In reality, it didn’t hurt Bale that much.
Because to annihilate the "life trace" known as Bale, it had to be the power of the Genesis Knight or an equivalent power.
Nonetheless, Bale decided to lie down for a while to suppress his embarrassment.
'Ah, this is embarrassing. I hope that bastard Padler didn’t see me in that state...'
Fortunately, there didn’t seem to be any sign of Padler around, at least as far as Bale could perceive.
Even if others didn’t know, Bale didn’t want to show such a pathetic state in front of Padler.
A smile of satisfaction appeared on Senga’s lips as he watched Bale.
[I was curious to see when you’d get up and fight back, doll.]
[After lecturing Jin earlier about his ancestors, why do you dare to try to compete with me? Did you think stabbing me once when I was off guard made you someone? Huh? Because I was feeling irritated, did it feel good to stab me once? Huh? Am I like a piece of crucian carp when I’m quietly standing here?]
Perhaps due to spending time with Sandra every day and being in an awkward situation, Bale was using slightly provocative language.
He might also be influenced by the mimicry of Murakan that Enya occasionally demonstrated.
[Indeed, as Sir Padler said, you’re a humble doll. However, I’m no longer interested in your life since I already took it once. I’ll assign my friends to take care of you and the others. Stay still and wait for the battle between the traitor Jin Runcandel and me to end.]
When Senga raised his arm, knights and monsters soaked in chaos began pouring out from the open gate.
A massive army that couldn’t be counted.
They had been waiting at the gate’s edge since Senga exited the castle.
Before the army could even establish their positions, Bale enveloped the entire battlefield with a golden aura.
When the glowing ring above Bale’s head expanded and resonated with overwhelming power, the forces of the evil god that were rising on the ground all collapsed simultaneously.
[You just said you’d do it. Even if all your subordinates attacked him at once, it would only make him break a sweat. Did you think the evil god would have expected you to face Jin in the first place?]
Senga remained calm even in the face of the useless death of his forces.
However, when the golden aura that covered Shakan grew even more intense, he couldn’t help but feel a shiver run down his spine.
Bale had become one of the ten great knights purely through his overwhelming power during Runcandel’s peak.
On the other hand, Senga had been the patriarch of the clan during Runcandel’s most critical decline.
The weight Jin mentioned, Hedo’s recognition that Senga was a formidable fighter...
They were merely assessments implying that he could serve as "the evil god’s guardian."
Finally, they had arrived at this place.
They had faced countless and arduous battles.
Now, someone like Senga was no longer even a minor threat to Jin and his comrades.
As Bale said, when Shakan fell with a dull thud on Senga’s head, the duel between them began.
Senga was a man who became patriarch without ever living in such a desperate era as the current one.
Tsuaak-!
When Shakan fell with a thudding noise on Senga’s head, the duel between them began.
Even after the duel began, Bale continued incinerating the forces that emerged from the gate without effort.
Senga thought to himself.
No matter how immense Bale's power was, he couldn’t handle all the forces. Naturally, the fleet’s bombardment would follow, but once the melee began, they would have to fight while catching their breath.
Bale, who wasn’t letting his guard down, was clearly several steps ahead of Senga.
As time passed, Senga had to narrow his focus on the overall situation and concentrate solely on Bale.
On the other hand, Bale focused more on single-handedly annihilating the forces of chaos.
The battle between them ended when Senga’s long sword shattered, followed by the disappearance of the arms that held it.
[Hoo, hoo...!]
Senga, kneeling on one knee, looked around with a vacant expression.
Throughout the battle, the warships didn’t bombard the battlefield, and there wasn’t a single surviving force of chaos in sight.
Jin crossed the sea of black corpses, approaching.
"Knight Senga, from now on, you are no longer Runcandel. And even after the war ends, no one in this world will respect your remains."
[Kuhk...... Are you saying you can really decide that, despite the matriarch still breathing in there? Your treason cannot succeed.]
Jin slowly turned Senga’s head so that his gaze reached beyond the darkness of the castle from which he had just emerged.
"Those who entered the darkness and pointed their swords at Rosa today will forever have shining names. But those who never managed to escape the darkness’s embrace despite their struggles will have their names buried in contempt and oblivion."
Senga’s face twisted.
Jin looked indifferently into Senga’s eyes, which were trying to suppress his trembling.
He could feel death approaching.
Originally, mausoleum knights could be resurrected through the power of the evil god, but Rosa had never planned to revive Senga in the first place.
Jin thought it was only natural.
Even when Rosa was human, she had never shown any favor to individuals like Senga.
Slash!
Senga fell to the ground.
Jin passed by him, gradually heading deeper into the darkness of the castle.
Hedo, Bale, and the comrades who had descended and were waiting for Jin followed closely behind him.
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