C555
The recovered Octavia and the Spectre Corps were fiercely chasing Jin and his group.
Valkas and the Sword Saints, who were supposed to take care of the rear, were already exhausted...
But fortunately, Ron"s gray sword aura was scattered all along the way to the castle.
Strangely, his sword aura didn"t hinder allies at all; it only oppressed the Spectres.
Just like a divine being only lends aid to those under its protection.
Octavia"s tremendous mobility was also dimmed by the gray sword aura, losing its l.u.s.ter.
Thanks to this, the group advanced towards the castle more easily than expected.
That doesn"t mean they moved fast.
In the sky, shockwaves from the giants were constantly erupting, and the ground churned and screamed every time they stepped on it.
As the battle between Ron and Kelliark intensified, the aftermath transmitted to the Sword Emperor Castle.
And for the most part, Octavia and the Spectres had to endure it.
It was a strange formation.
The Spectres seemed to be covering Jin and his retreating group like an umbrella.
Octavia couldn"t help but burst into anger.
Since the land battle began, she and the Spectres had received more damage from Ron and Kelliark"s battle.
"Hedo-nim said he seemed to be a human favored by the Heavens... it seems like infinite luck is on my side."
-If the Heavens are favoring you, it"s probably because your father has become the Heavens itself.
Just like Hedo told Jin in the Sota Desert, Octavia felt the same way.
Strangely, Jin seemed to be lucky.
Of all things, the battlefield of giants caused more damage to itself with its backs to the sky, and as soon as the battle began, reinforcements called Misha arrived at just the right moment, and they couldn"t finish her off even after strengthening with the Demon G.o.d Orb.
Again.
Octavia couldn"t shake off a sense of imminent doom.
A dirty intuition was piercing her mind, suggesting that perhaps they wouldn"t be able to kill Jin and his group.
Sh*t...!
Even if it wasn"t enough, that Valkas and the Sword Saints hadn"t fallen yet was horrible.
The Black King and the Sword Saints were undoubtedly very strong, but they were in no way comparable to her and the Spectres.
Even if they were able to withstand the impact of the giants, they should have been eliminated by now.
Especially the Five Sword Saints.
At a glance, they already looked like corpses.
Their faces were not just gray but almost black, and the swords they wielded while retreating were not as sharp as before.
Still, they didn"t die.
They had been pierced through the chest, so this would be the end; the running speed would decrease, the leg would break, and now they should fall...
Octavia can"t count how many times all those expectations have failed.
With battered bodies, they wielded the sword almost as if they were staggering, but why and how could they continue to defend the rear, even against herself and the Spectres!
There were moments when the consciousness of the Sword Saints flickered like a flickering magical light.
The inner castle was getting closer.
After the Demon G.o.d Orb was opened, the Sword Emperor Castle lost most of its castle form.
However, the inner castle remained almost the same as the first time.
Among the collapsed buildings and broken ground, the only intact inner castle somehow exuded a sublime aura.
It gave the feeling that something precious, which should be protected even if the world collapsed, was right here.
However, not even Ron could prevent Octavia from hitting it directly.
If Jin"s group and the Spectres enter the castle, the inner castle will collapse.
"You can"t pa.s.s, Zipples...."
The Sword Saints stopped retreating in front of the castle.
Jin and his companions stopped and looked at them.
They realized without saying it.
We will buy time one last time, check on how Dante is doing, and if possible, if possible... we will bring him with you.
That"s what the Sword Saints" backs were saying.
Anyway, among them, there was no one who could live even if they received treatment right now.
Sacrifice, truly terrible.
"Yes, the right choice... It"s going to be very hard to make sense now."
Octavia said quietly, with hatred.
She and the Spectres pointed their staffs at the Sword Saints.
As she said, the miracle of the Sword Saints, which had continued hundreds of times until now, was about to end here.
Jin turned around and took a step toward the Sword Saints. He drew the pale blue sword, Sigmund.
Lord...!
"Jin-nim!"
Jin"s companions felt the same as him.
They didn"t want to move to the next step by stepping on the sacrifice of their comrades.
But they had to make a rational decision.
This must be something that the Sword Saints didn"t want either.
Feeling Jin"s energy approaching them, they also wanted to shout:
"Please, go."
That"s why all his companions had to stop Jin, but Jin wasn"t losing his mind and heading towards the Sword Saints just because of his emotions.
Won"t they come even if I do this?
Runcandel...
Jin was asking his own Family with his action.
"Whoever comes from the Family. If I fight with them even by executing my Sword of the Reign of the Kingdom of Legends here, you won"t know that not only the Sword Saints will die."
It was a friendly threat, and as always.
Jin got what he wanted.
The moment Octavia and the Spectres" magic rained down on the Sword Saints and Jin"s companions tried to forcefully bring him back.
A group of knights hidden among the fire blocked the front of Jin and the Sword Saints.
They were five Black Knights.
"Again, seriously...!"
Octavia gritted her teeth and glared at the Black Knights.
"Do you think Runcandel will come to save me, Octavia Zipple?"
"I"m sure. Now you have such a position in Runcandel."
Just like she had a conversation with Jin as soon as they met on land, indeed, Octavia had in mind from the beginning that Runcandel"s support would arrive.
Still, the reason she was scandalized was that she was fed up.
The fact that the situation was favoring Jin more and more each time made her blood flow backward.
The knights" swords cut through Octavia and the Spectres" magic.
They must have endured the giants" might along the way, but they showed no signs of fatigue.
On the contrary, the aura of one of the swords was stronger than any active Black Knight Jin had ever seen and instantly blocked their path.
Jin"s companions could breathe a sigh of relief, and Jin finally felt a bit of satisfaction at that moment.
Not only was he pretending to fight alongside the Sword Saints, but it was a prelude to knowing that the Black Knights would never have stepped forward if he hadn"t genuinely shown his willingness to rejoin the battle.
"Twelfth Flagbearer."
Stam"s calm and heavy voice remained undisturbed even in the chaotic battlefield.
Jin had never heard Stam"s voice and had no idea of his status, but he knew it instinctively.
That he was the leader of Runcandel"s Black Knights.
"To think you would pull me out like this, you always have a knack for surprising our Family members."
Stam"s sword created a fierce resonating sound and pushed other energies away.
As soon as he appeared, Octavia and the Spectres had no choice but to change their pursuit formation back to battle.
"Stam... Hasn"t Rosa Runcandel come in person?" Octavia asked.
Stam didn"t answer Octavia and looked back at Jin and the others. As if there were no problem even though there were Spectres in front of him.
For a few seconds, Stam"s gaze moved back and forth between Jin and the others and the intact inner castle.
In the end, it settled on the battered Sword Saints.
Before being a Black Knight, before being a human, he was a Warrior.
He felt a deep respect for them.
"Thanks to the Twelfth Flagbearer, I can pay my respects to all of you. It"s not my intention, but it"s an honor to a.s.sist you in your final moments."
Even though he felt moved by them as a Warrior and wanted to help them as a human, the original mission and the Family were the top priority for the Black Knights.
Therefore, it wasn"t very appropriate to step forward now, but considering Jin"s injury or death, he couldn"t help it.
"...Stam-nim, definitely. The day will come when Hairan returns the favor. Even if it takes a thousand years."
Stam nodded and looked Jin in the eyes.
"Go, Twelfth Flagbearer."
He didn"t ask Stam for time to say goodbye to the Sword Saints.
Since the land battle began, Jin and his companions had already said their goodbyes to the Sword Saints.
The battle itself was like a long farewell for them.
For once, Jin and his companions saw the backs of the master swordsmen and turned back towards the castle.
As they left, Octavia couldn"t capture them.
"A while ago, you asked if Rosa-nim hadn"t come in person, Octavia Zipple."
Stam pointed his sword and continued speaking.
"Be thankful that Rosa-nim decided to send me in her stead."
Stam"s disdainful voice pierced through Octavia"s lungs.
--------------------
Dante Hairan.
In an inner war with the White Stone, he walked on an endless gray path.
How much time had pa.s.sed, why he was here in the first place, what he resisted against...
He couldn"t remember those things now.
Am I doing okay...?
He vividly remembered the fact that he had engaged in an intense battle, a fight so fierce that it seemed impossible to express with words.
But now, he felt calm.
He no longer heard the voice that had seduced him, the voice that he didn"t know why, but he believed he should never follow.
I"m doing just fine.
And, I overcame it...
Suddenly, such a thought sprouted like a horn, and his steps became lighter.
He didn"t know what he had overcome, but somehow good things seemed to happen if he kept walking.
After traversing that gray area for so long, Dante could hear a new voice.
Dante...!
Dante!
It wasn"t a tempting voice that he thought he should never pa.s.s by, but a completely different, very friendly and familiar voice.
It was the voice of a friend.
Jin...
Dante smiled widely and began to run towards Jin"s voice.
The voice got closer before he got too far, and he saw a door emerging out of nowhere on the gray ground.
He put his hand on the door.
By the way, even if I open it and go out...
Is it okay?
Suddenly, an unfamiliar feeling of unease filled his joyfully beating heart.
Dante!
He heard his friend"s urgent voice again...
And Dante opened the door, stopping his troubled thoughts.
And as soon as he stepped out through the door...
The White Stone looked at the wide-open door and thought:
Finally.
I can get out.
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