About five hundred Aura Jammers. Over the past two and a half years, Qwaul had raised the performance of the jammer and related artifacts to near the limit, and done numerous tests before that.
So far, none of Jin’s comrade has able to win against five hundred jammers.
In the first place, there was no need to go up to 500, and even Valkas and Cuicantelle could not use their aura properly while dealing with more than 200 jammers.
But now Jin was not affected by the jammer.
Rather, as soon as the jammers were deployed, Jin released tremendous aura and even covered all the people waiting outside the battlefield with a new protective shields.
Just like how Ron Hairan protected people from chaos in the war of the Sword Emperor Castle.
'Ignoring all jammers and granting individual shields to hundreds of people is something that can never be done with just 10-stars or more energy...… It is not a human domain. You came back as a monster, Jin.'
[T/L:- Only one battle king is doing this much then imagine the day when other 12 battle kings and 1 battle god comes out in human world.]
Cuicantelle involuntarily swallowed dry saliva.
Even for her, who remembers Murakan's prime days, the martial arts that Jin shows now was shocking enough. In a way, she even felt that Jin had already become more terrifying than Murakan back then.
At this rate of growth, even combat power would soon reach equal to Murakan, but the judgment and insight were no longer in the possessions of young human being from a long time ago.
Puzz-!
Suddenly, a blue glow spread across the battlefield. After the battle began, Smarion's energy, which had been exceeding Jin's, was being eaten up by the Aura and thunderbolts.
[You treat this body like a beast. Are you saying it’s not a fight, but a hunt?]
Smarion showed displeasure and fired his swords toward Jin’s comrades.
However, the sword seemed to disintegrate in the air before reaching the shields of his comrades.
It was offset by the energy of Jin that spread in layers.
“You'd better focus on me. Attempts to threaten me through those outside will work against you.”
Smarion widens his eyes. Now, Jin couldn't see the composure that Smarion had shown in the beginning, and Jin had a calm face like first time.
What Jin said was true. Taking his comrades as hostages in a state where he couldn't handle Jin properly right now was an effective method only until he "arrived at Ghost Castle."
Jin wondered why Smarion hadn't done that. It was not a sufficient explanation to say that he only had desire to fight Chiron or that type of human.
'Maybe it's the result of Smarion resisting demonic nature. That’s why my comrades are not dead by the time I arrive.'
It wasn't a situation where Jin could have a calm conversation about him.
Whether his comrades are unharmed is the result of Smarion's resistance to demonic nature or not. There was no change in the fact that Jin had to subjugate him.
Even if it was the former, it would means that Smarion's last humanity, which remained in demonic nature, desperately desired.
[It's been a while since I've come into the world, so it seems I've looked down on you too much.]
Squeak-!
An afterimage was left where Jin stood. At the same time, Smarion's twin swords broke again, and he punched Jin’s sword, which was penetrating into his chest, with his bare fist.
A roar spread from the clashing fists of Smarion and Bradamante.
Others were shuddering at the heavy shock transmitted through the guardian brethren, the dragon fire blocking curtains, the power of time, and various protective shields.
As they began to speed up the battle, the scars on Smarion's body increased rapidly. Jin didn't allow a single effective hit after the jammers were deployed.
Before long, Smarion changed his tactics.
‘All attacks have become heavy. He can't win if he drag the fight, so is he trying to cut me down somehow?'
The battle of top-notch martial artists has to be delicate and precise.
Even if most of Smarion's enlightenment as a martial artist, that he gained during his time as the leader of the ghosts, were tainted by demonic nature, his sword still had the unique skill of a transcendent being.
However, Smarion is trying to break even the remaining moves himself. As soon as he decided that a head-to-head match was impossible, he chose to end the both of them.
[Ha, ha, ha!]
Bradamante pierced Smarion's left shoulder.
At the same time, Smarion also reached out the sword in his right hand and struck Jin's chest. The blade penetrated the shadow force armor and dug into Jin's chest as much as a finger length.
The blade bears the decades of chaos that Smarion has built up. A murky energy incomparable to any poison in the world spread through Jin's body in an instant.
Of course, Smarion has expected Jin to back down in panic. He thought Jin would vomit blood, bent over, and struggle to subdue the chaos that had somehow entered his body.
However, Jin didn't care and exploded the sword stuck in Smarion's shoulder without the slightest hint of bewilderment.
Jin is a member of the Plutonian tribe. Through this training, Jin went beyond the concept of human as their brethren, and he has almost the same characteristics as them in terms of constitution.
Unless it was the first chaos that Helluram used directly, or a power equivalent to it. All sorts of 'general chaos' in the world could no longer affect Jin. No matter how big and thick it is.
[It's ridiculous...…. you bastard, what is your true identity?]
Smarion’s last attempt did not work.
Smarion, who increased the distance, gasped for breath with his left arm dropping. As soon as Jin’s shadow force armor was pierced, he concentrated all his energy, but Jin didn't even look tired, let alone hurt.
If Smarion managed to deal with Jin somehow, he would have been able to escape and plan for the future even if he had only 10% of his remaining strength.
But in fact, the fight is already over. Smarion couldn't think of any other way to threaten Jin. Even now, it was obviously impossible to take his comrades hostage, and there was no way to escape.
“You looked for my father when you saw me."
Jin slowly moves towards Smarion.
Smarion was desperate and swung his sword, but Jin showed a difference in their level by lightly shedding or slashing everything.
“When you were the leader of the ghost mercenaries, you must have been much stronger than you are now, but you couldn’t be my father’s opponent.”
Only Jin can say that the ghost leader Smarion Proch was stronger back than compared to now when he was encroached by chaos.
You can never think of it like that unless you are a transcendent person of the Jin’s level. It is because there is an realm that can never be reached by the demonization instead of absolute composure. Even if the power is much greater.
“But I wondered why my father, Chiron Runcandel, kept you alive in those days.”
-My lord, you probably doesn't even know that my father ever had a fight with Sir Chiron.
-My father and the former ghost leader...…?
- I didn't see it myself. It was even before I was born. However, the fight lasted all day and in the end Sir Chiron won, but for some reason Sir Chiron did not kill my father.
Although Smarion, the leader of the ghost mercenaries didn’t controlled by demonic nature, was strong enough to fight Chiron at that time for 'a day', and even after losing the battle, the ghost mercenaries did not give their allegiance to Runcandel.
However, Chiron rather often visited the ghost castle and looked after Smarion.
“After mixing swords with you, I have a vague idea of why my father did that.”
[What are you talking about?]
“My father would have respected the fact that you were resisting chaos.”
Resistance to chaos and respect for it.
If you think about it, there were many strange points in the fight between Jin and Smarion from the beginning. Smarion was able to open the seal at any time long before Jin arrived.
Therefore, Smarion could annihilate the humans who surrounded him at any time until Jin came. Even if most of Tikan's strongmen were on standby, they would not be able to compete with Smarion.
But Smarion did not do that. He rightly said that he waited for someone like Chiron.
A few times, the chaos of Smarion exploded and made the surrounding a mess, and casualties occurred in the process, but there was no decisive damage to the Tikan side.
It was only after Jin appeared that Smarion focused all his chaos and bloodlust on him.
Jin felt that there was no reason for Smarion to do that, no matter how he thought it.
Except for one assumption, the premise that 'Smarion resisted demonic nature in order not to kill people'.
“I decided to judge that you resisted chaos before I came. It must be thanks to him that your sword has been so blunt all along, and that the Proch siblings and my people did not die.”
In other words, Jin assumed that Smarion would let go of the last string of resistance as soon as a being capable of "killing him" appeared.
[Maybe it's because you are Chiron’s blood, so you are good at talking arrogant nonsense.]
“So I would like to pay my respects before ending the fight. Not the monster of chaos standing in front of me right now, but the human Smarion Proch, who defended the Ghost Castle alone from the chaos until yesterday.”
Swoosh...…!
Suddenly, the aura and thunderbolts that covered the battlefield disappeared.
The murky aura of Smarion, which it had tied up, also disappeared. It was Jin's shadow force that quickly began to fill the space again, and the battlefield, which was chaotic with mixed powers, quickly became quiet.
Within it, chaos rose like an awl a few times, but like a stone thrown into the sea, it seemed to sink into shadow force.
[Damn it...….]
Jin stopped walking and aimed Bradamante at Smarion. There was no need to unleash the Shadow Sword ultimate technique.
Gently, as if closing the eyes of a dead person, Bradamante penetrated Smarion's chest.
Smarion flinched once and grabbed his blade, and Jin stared at his red eyes that were quietly fading away.
Smarion's pupils were not looking at Jin, who had stabbed him, but at the darkness beyond stained with shadow force.
In a life stained with madness and chaos, the only warm memory was the time when he held Lata and Faye. Even that eventually ended up being years of abuse and violence towards each other.
Smarion was not sentimental as he recalled that time. As Jin expected, the moment he arrived, Smarion lost his will as the last remaining human.
It was just a coincidence that Smarion focused on his children, or it was like human Smarion's rigor after death.
But in Jin's eyes, it seemed like the fateful result of Smarion's resistance to chaos.
“Goodbye, Sir Smarion.”
Eventually, the fallen Smarion became particles and scattered among the shadow force that filled the battlefield, and Jin briefly paid a silent tribute to him.
About five hundred Aura Jammers. Over the past two and a half years, Qwaul had raised the performance of the jammer and related artifacts to near the limit, and done numerous tests before that.
So far, none of Jin’s comrade has able to win against five hundred jammers.
In the first place, there was no need to go up to 500, and even Valkas and Cuicantelle could not use their aura properly while dealing with more than 200 jammers.
But now Jin was not affected by the jammer.
Rather, as soon as the jammers were deployed, Jin released tremendous aura and even covered all the people waiting outside the battlefield with a new protective shields.
Just like how Ron Hairan protected people from chaos in the war of the Sword Emperor Castle.
'Ignoring all jammers and granting individual shields to hundreds of people is something that can never be done with just 10-stars or more energy...… It is not a human domain. You came back as a monster, Jin.'
[T/L:- Only one battle king is doing this much then imagine the day when other 12 battle kings and 1 battle god comes out in human world.]
Cuicantelle involuntarily swallowed dry saliva.
Even for her, who remembers Murakan's prime days, the martial arts that Jin shows now was shocking enough. In a way, she even felt that Jin had already become more terrifying than Murakan back then.
At this rate of growth, even combat power would soon reach equal to Murakan, but the judgment and insight were no longer in the possessions of young human being from a long time ago.
Puzz-!
Suddenly, a blue glow spread across the battlefield. After the battle began, Smarion's energy, which had been exceeding Jin's, was being eaten up by the Aura and thunderbolts.
[You treat this body like a beast. Are you saying it’s not a fight, but a hunt?]
Smarion showed displeasure and fired his swords toward Jin’s comrades.
However, the sword seemed to disintegrate in the air before reaching the shields of his comrades.
It was offset by the energy of Jin that spread in layers.
“You'd better focus on me. Attempts to threaten me through those outside will work against you.”
Smarion widens his eyes. Now, Jin couldn't see the composure that Smarion had shown in the beginning, and Jin had a calm face like first time.
What Jin said was true. Taking his comrades as hostages in a state where he couldn't handle Jin properly right now was an effective method only until he "arrived at Ghost Castle."
Jin wondered why Smarion hadn't done that. It was not a sufficient explanation to say that he only had desire to fight Chiron or that type of human.
'Maybe it's the result of Smarion resisting demonic nature. That’s why my comrades are not dead by the time I arrive.'
It wasn't a situation where Jin could have a calm conversation about him.
Whether his comrades are unharmed is the result of Smarion's resistance to demonic nature or not. There was no change in the fact that Jin had to subjugate him.
Even if it was the former, it would means that Smarion's last humanity, which remained in demonic nature, desperately desired.
[It's been a while since I've come into the world, so it seems I've looked down on you too much.]
Squeak-!
An afterimage was left where Jin stood. At the same time, Smarion's twin swords broke again, and he punched Jin’s sword, which was penetrating into his chest, with his bare fist.
A roar spread from the clashing fists of Smarion and Bradamante.
Others were shuddering at the heavy shock transmitted through the guardian brethren, the dragon fire blocking curtains, the power of time, and various protective shields.
As they began to speed up the battle, the scars on Smarion's body increased rapidly. Jin didn't allow a single effective hit after the jammers were deployed.
Before long, Smarion changed his tactics.
‘All attacks have become heavy. He can't win if he drag the fight, so is he trying to cut me down somehow?'
The battle of top-notch martial artists has to be delicate and precise.
Even if most of Smarion's enlightenment as a martial artist, that he gained during his time as the leader of the ghosts, were tainted by demonic nature, his sword still had the unique skill of a transcendent being.
However, Smarion is trying to break even the remaining moves himself. As soon as he decided that a head-to-head match was impossible, he chose to end the both of them.
[Ha, ha, ha!]
Bradamante pierced Smarion's left shoulder.
At the same time, Smarion also reached out the sword in his right hand and struck Jin's chest. The blade penetrated the shadow force armor and dug into Jin's chest as much as a finger length.
The blade bears the decades of chaos that Smarion has built up. A murky energy incomparable to any poison in the world spread through Jin's body in an instant.
Of course, Smarion has expected Jin to back down in panic. He thought Jin would vomit blood, bent over, and struggle to subdue the chaos that had somehow entered his body.
However, Jin didn't care and exploded the sword stuck in Smarion's shoulder without the slightest hint of bewilderment.
Jin is a member of the Plutonian tribe. Through this training, Jin went beyond the concept of human as their brethren, and he has almost the same characteristics as them in terms of constitution.
Unless it was the first chaos that Helluram used directly, or a power equivalent to it. All sorts of 'general chaos' in the world could no longer affect Jin. No matter how big and thick it is.
[It's ridiculous...…. you bastard, what is your true identity?]
Smarion’s last attempt did not work.
Smarion, who increased the distance, gasped for breath with his left arm dropping. As soon as Jin’s shadow force armor was pierced, he concentrated all his energy, but Jin didn't even look tired, let alone hurt.
If Smarion managed to deal with Jin somehow, he would have been able to escape and plan for the future even if he had only 10% of his remaining strength.
But in fact, the fight is already over. Smarion couldn't think of any other way to threaten Jin. Even now, it was obviously impossible to take his comrades hostage, and there was no way to escape.
“You looked for my father when you saw me."
Jin slowly moves towards Smarion.
Smarion was desperate and swung his sword, but Jin showed a difference in their level by lightly shedding or slashing everything.
“When you were the leader of the ghost mercenaries, you must have been much stronger than you are now, but you couldn’t be my father’s opponent.”
Only Jin can say that the ghost leader Smarion Proch was stronger back than compared to now when he was encroached by chaos.
You can never think of it like that unless you are a transcendent person of the Jin’s level. It is because there is an realm that can never be reached by the demonization instead of absolute composure. Even if the power is much greater.
“But I wondered why my father, Chiron Runcandel, kept you alive in those days.”
-My lord, you probably doesn't even know that my father ever had a fight with Sir Chiron.
-My father and the former ghost leader...…?
- I didn't see it myself. It was even before I was born. However, the fight lasted all day and in the end Sir Chiron won, but for some reason Sir Chiron did not kill my father.
Although Smarion, the leader of the ghost mercenaries didn’t controlled by demonic nature, was strong enough to fight Chiron at that time for 'a day', and even after losing the battle, the ghost mercenaries did not give their allegiance to Runcandel.
However, Chiron rather often visited the ghost castle and looked after Smarion.
“After mixing swords with you, I have a vague idea of why my father did that.”
[What are you talking about?]
“My father would have respected the fact that you were resisting chaos.”
Resistance to chaos and respect for it.
If you think about it, there were many strange points in the fight between Jin and Smarion from the beginning. Smarion was able to open the seal at any time long before Jin arrived.
Therefore, Smarion could annihilate the humans who surrounded him at any time until Jin came. Even if most of Tikan's strongmen were on standby, they would not be able to compete with Smarion.
But Smarion did not do that. He rightly said that he waited for someone like Chiron.
A few times, the chaos of Smarion exploded and made the surrounding a mess, and casualties occurred in the process, but there was no decisive damage to the Tikan side.
It was only after Jin appeared that Smarion focused all his chaos and bloodlust on him.
Jin felt that there was no reason for Smarion to do that, no matter how he thought it.
Except for one assumption, the premise that 'Smarion resisted demonic nature in order not to kill people'.
“I decided to judge that you resisted chaos before I came. It must be thanks to him that your sword has been so blunt all along, and that the Proch siblings and my people did not die.”
In other words, Jin assumed that Smarion would let go of the last string of resistance as soon as a being capable of "killing him" appeared.
[Maybe it's because you are Chiron’s blood, so you are good at talking arrogant nonsense.]
“So I would like to pay my respects before ending the fight. Not the monster of chaos standing in front of me right now, but the human Smarion Proch, who defended the Ghost Castle alone from the chaos until yesterday.”
Swoosh...…!
Suddenly, the aura and thunderbolts that covered the battlefield disappeared.
The murky aura of Smarion, which it had tied up, also disappeared. It was Jin's shadow force that quickly began to fill the space again, and the battlefield, which was chaotic with mixed powers, quickly became quiet.
Within it, chaos rose like an awl a few times, but like a stone thrown into the sea, it seemed to sink into shadow force.
[Damn it...….]
Jin stopped walking and aimed Bradamante at Smarion. There was no need to unleash the Shadow Sword ultimate technique.
Gently, as if closing the eyes of a dead person, Bradamante penetrated Smarion's chest.
Smarion flinched once and grabbed his blade, and Jin stared at his red eyes that were quietly fading away.
Smarion's pupils were not looking at Jin, who had stabbed him, but at the darkness beyond stained with shadow force.
In a life stained with madness and chaos, the only warm memory was the time when he held Lata and Faye. Even that eventually ended up being years of abuse and violence towards each other.
Smarion was not sentimental as he recalled that time. As Jin expected, the moment he arrived, Smarion lost his will as the last remaining human.
It was just a coincidence that Smarion focused on his children, or it was like human Smarion's rigor after death.
But in Jin's eyes, it seemed like the fateful result of Smarion's resistance to chaos.
“Goodbye, Sir Smarion.”
Eventually, the fallen Smarion became particles and scattered among the shadow force that filled the battlefield, and Jin briefly paid a silent tribute to him.
