C750
Although Murakan remained on the battlefield for a moment, nearly 50% of the enemies had disappeared.
Mary, the Tona brothers, and Yona also killed the former patriarchs.
Even though the Black Chains had already faded, they couldn't put up a decent resistance.
The enemy formation was collapsing.
The allies desperately exploited the weak points, wielding their swords and casting spells.
Another fierce battle ensued.
However, the temporary alliance was clearly prevailing.
Although casualties were increasing, their side was taking down a significantly larger number of enemies.
"Victory is within reach! Stay focused until the end.""Any news from the Twelfth Flagbearer?"
Whenever they had a moment, the allies glanced towards the curtain of chaos containing Jin and the evil god.
Compared to the first time Murakan passed through it, the curtain had significantly shrunk.
It seemed too narrow for two people to stand side by side.
Is Jin entering a new subspace with the evil god?
Valeria frowned as she examined the records.
The records indicated that Jin and the evil god had left the battlefield.
She was worried.
Since they used the Wavelength Tracking Synchronization Device and even summoned Murakan, Jin had no secret weapons left.
Enya, understanding her concern, grabbed Valeria's hand.
"Young Master Jin will undoubtedly return."
Valeria opened her eyes for a moment and then smiled at Enya.
"Wow, it's rare to see Valeria smile. It makes you even more beautiful... Should I start another fan club? Anyway, don't worry about Young Master Jin, help me out a bit. Please, use this."
Enya took out a "mirror" from her chest.
"The chaos storm surrounding Ram is steadily shrinking. If we reinforce the shield with this Mirror, we might be able to delay it a bit longer."
As the chaos storm continued to narrow, Ram gradually began to sink.
It wasn't due to any control mechanism lowering the altitude.
It was due to Murakan's breath and the ongoing destruction from the battle. Its functionality was gradually being lost.
People and monsters aboard the giant warship were plummeting.
Enya opened the mirror, hoping that everyone among them would survive unharmed.
Valeria, on Enya's behalf, read the flow of infinite mana and offered her aid.
Gradually, the traces of the subspace confining Jin and the evil god began to fade.
Even as Ram was sinking, there was no movement in the traces of the subspace suspended in the sky.
Thinking of Jin fighting alone inside, his companions continued to faithfully fulfill the tasks assigned to them.
------------------
Jin faced the evil god.
Initially, it was a gigantic creature resembling Glyek, but after merging with Ram, it took on a demonic form with horns and wings, soaked in chaos.
However, the current evil had taken on the appearance most familiar to Jin.
Black hair that calmly sank, a cold and firm gaze, an upright posture that seemed unyielding.
The appearance of a woman who had led the Family as the acting matriarch of Runcandel for many years.
Unlike when Jin faced the young Rosa in the castle, he was no longer surprised by the transformations of the evil god.
"Somehow, I expected you to appear like this if I followed you..."
There wasn't the slightest tremor in Jin's sword as he faced the evil god.
The intense emotions that had surged moments ago had turned into a determination to kill his opponent, like a sword being forged.
For a while, the evil god silently watched Jin.
Jin could sense that no aura was forming in this subspace.
The same was true for mana and shadow energy.
Within this subspace, they couldn't use any special powers.
However, Jin wasn't afraid.
Even if he had to fight unarmed and without a sword, he was confident he wouldn't die in this place.
"What a lonely sight."
The evil god spoke in a hollow and desolate voice, like that of a condemned person who has accepted their fate and ascended the gallows.
Unlike their previous encounters, the space they were in lacked any activity. A vast, empty white desert.
This was the inner world of the evil god, the end of her subconscious.
"I wonder what your realm will be like. Suddenly, I'm curious. Surely it won't be as empty and bleak as mine."
"Because I haven't lived like you."
There was no anger in Jin's voice.
"No. Our lives are still similar, my son. Just not entirely the same."
"What do you think accounts for that slight difference?"
"Do you want to call it the fighting spirit?"
"Yes."
"How relentless. Even if I were reborn, I wouldn't have the courage to live a life more fervent than this one. I truly sacrificed everything for the Family... I controlled every desire throughout my life, never prioritized myself over the Family, and not once did I complain. During that lonely and cold time."
"You chose the wrong path."
"What is the right path? And is it something even a sinner like me can take? Like you, who had the opportunity to regress and live a new life with memories?"
Jin wasn't surprised even when the evil god mentioned his regression.
He had suspected that death revealed a secret to the departing god.
"I've always had a question for you. In my previous life, why did you stop eating for two days when I was exiled?"
The evil god let out a mocking laugh.
"Of course, you're asking the obvious. Don't I seem human? I also feel sadness, fall into depression, and agonize. I want to be with my husband, to embrace my children. But by doing so, the Runcandel Family wouldn't grow stronger. That is not the path of the swordsman family known as Runcandel; it's the path of an ordinary home."
Jin tightly closed his eyes for a moment.
"I'm not a monster, my little one. I was thrown into a position where I had to become a monster. Even before accepting chaos, I was already a monster. I had no choice. The power to make decisions in my life was never in my hands."
That is the difference between you and me.
Transparent tears streamed from the evil god's eyes as she continued her words.
"I fought against life with all my might, but I lost. I couldn't overcome an inevitable fate, a destiny. It was the difference caused by the abilities and opportunities given at birth."
The evil god slowly drew Frenzy from its sheath.
"It isn't unfair. Not everyone can fulfill their dreams, not everyone can accomplish the duties given to them. Some things are inevitable, no matter how fierce you are. Naturally, I have no desire to make excuses. I just wanted to tell someone, to tell you..."
"...I might have felt some empathy if you had failed as a human instead of becoming the evil god and had remained a person, even if that had led the Family down the path of decay."
"That might have been the case."
"Although I can't forgive you, I would have made an effort to understand."
"But I no longer seek that. Now, I don't know what the human heart is, what decisions a person should make. I don't want to deny my harsh past, and I certainly don't want to justify my sins."
Now, I just want to fight you until I break and collapse...
Clang!
Frenzy struck Jin's chest.
It was heavy.
Jin couldn't tell if the weight came from Frenzy or something else.
All he knew was that he had to push it away, strike, stab.
"Youngest son. This battle is more of a blessing to me. My last vestige of humanity cursed me to die in your embrace. I fervently hope that curse comes true. Do you know why? Because pain is better than loneliness."
This time, Jin drove the blade into the evil god's throat.
Drip~
The blade grazed the throat, staining it with blood.
Hot, crimson droplets darkened his vision.
It felt as if he were cutting a person, not an evil god.
Only now did he realize the sensation of being able to establish a bond with a human, no longer with a monster.
However, Jin didn't see this as a "battle."
The evil god had already been defeated even before giving birth to Jin.
She had already become a monster, no different from a person, even before Jin grew up.
Defeating someone who had already been defeated long ago was impossible.
That person was not present in this place.
One of the two swords clashing incessantly belonged to the living human now, while the other was merely a trace of the person who had disappeared long ago.
In the endless exchange of blows, Jin and the evil god accumulated wounds on their bodies.
They soaked each other in their own blood.
To the point of wanting to stop fighting.
The evil god fiercely extended her sword, desperate but without showing any hesitation.
Jin felt that, in the end, she was still selfish.
Just as everyone mourns when their parents die, despite having been brutally mistreated.
Just as an inevitable torment arrives.
They didn't know how long they had fought.
Jin knelt on one knee, leaning on his sword, and looked at the evil god.
"Ugh, cough..."
The fallen evil god gasped.
She kept opening her mouth as if trying to say something, but instead of words, only foamy blood came out.
Jin no longer had the strength to cut her last breath.
With labored breathing, Jin had to silently witness the final moments of the evil god.
The evil god's consciousness was fading.
Jin did not look away from the evil god.
He clung to the fading spirit, not letting it die to escape that death.
Finally, the evil god couldn't leave any last words for Jin.
At the moment the breath of the evil god was exhausted.
Whaaam!
A sudden white light burst forth, and Jin instinctively closed his eyes.
When he opened them, the bright blue sky of Hufester enveloped Jin, a sight he hadn't seen in a long time.
Jin was plummeting toward the ground, unable to move a finger.
He had exited the subspace.
As Jin descended, one by one, the voices of the people reached his ears.
He could hear the cries of his companions.
"Jin...!"
A warm surge of magic, like a whirlwind, wrapped around Jin.
It was Valeria's magic.
The wind magic gently drew Jin toward her.
And Jin could see.
He could see the figures of Valeria and his companions shouting something anxiously.
And what unfolded beyond them was the Garden of Swords.
Jin closed his eyes, confirming the landscape that remained intact.
-
KO-FI:
https://tinyurl.com/SHADOWK
-
( Up to '120' more ch4pt3rs)
-