Chapter 416

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'It's unbelievable... Does this even make sense?'

Jin found himself at a loss for words as he stared at the perfectly restored Grenil. Not only Jin but also the other warriors were taken aback by the fact that the dreadful ship had returned to its original state.

Even Zipfel was dedicating considerable time to the maintenance of the battleship Kozec, which could take several months or even years depending on the extent of the damage. However, the time it took for the leader to repair Grenil was no more than a mere ten seconds.

Everyone found it difficult to accept the idea that this could be called "repair" even after seeing it with their own eyes.

Pzzzzz…!

The battleship Grenil formed new thunderclouds and cast a dark shadow over the ground while the leader's metal hand was gathering metal pieces to form a sword.

It was the same sword that had put an end to the great mages Susan Lillista and Chukon Todlerer in Oterium.

"I stole Riol's legacy? That doesn't seem like an appropriate way to put it. It wasn't your property to begin with."

[We were keeping it, so it was ours.]

"Following that logic, it's mine now since I have it."

[Haha, now that's an interesting perspective.]

The leader chuckled.

While Jin had encountered the members of Kinzelo several times, this was the first time he had seen the leader in person since the reserve flagbearer days.

Suddenly, Jin remembered the first time he saw the leader in the Second Tomb of Temar.

-[What kind of bullshit is this?]

-[Bullshit, you say? I'm just a lucky guy who survived when you all were crushed under the weight. I'm just trying to be generous to the poor orphans.]

-[Get lost before I kill you too.]

-[Don't be so sharp. Listen to my proposal. My old friend. I've prepared a bright future for everyone.]

In the records, the leader appeared before Temar, the ten great knights and Murakan who were fighting at the "Tower" in the Black Sea.

Jin had always been curious about the relationship between the leader and Murakan, and what the "bright future" was that the leader proposed to everyone in the second tomb's records.

'One thing is for sure, the leader possesses tremendous power, whether it's a thousand years ago or today.'

There weren't many who could stand in Murakan's way a thousand years ago, and in the current era, the leader is the only person who could use the "teleportation" ability and instantly repair a ship.

Furthermore, the leader's authorities did not end there.

"In the end, I made our leader use his powers...."

The great warrior, Berakt, watched as his numerous wounds, large and small, were disappearing as if washed away.

Ron and Linpa carefully assessed the situation rather than pressuring Berakt again.

A moment of silence passed.

The leader's appearance had been followed by a series of shocking events. Everyone had thought they had cornered the terrorists, but now it seemed they were back to square one.

No, the situation was worse than at the beginning. Since the limits of the leader's regeneration ability were unknown.

[Leader of Kinzelo, it just makes me sick every time I see you. Hey, hey. Where do you get off acting all omnipotent? You're just a demon bastard. Anyway, you won't regain your senses until I beat you to death.]

Huuu, kwaahhh...!

Murakan unleashed a dark breath towards the leader. The shadow force surged towards the leader as if it would obliterate him, but he effortlessly dispelled it with his sword.

[Murakan.]

[You are calling my name again as if you know me. Ah, I am going crazy. Don't expect to return safely today.]

Jin didn't try to stop Murakan, who was displaying an intense fighting spirit. This was because he didn't seem to have lost his reason unlike when he first met the leader.

[Well, if you want to fight that much, I can't help it.]

The battle resumed again as Murakan rushed towards the leader.

The ship Grenil spread thunderclouds, and Berakt fully recovered, and went on rampage.

However, the overall situation was still difficult even if his injuries were healed. Berakt couldn't possibly take on both Ron and Linpa at the same time.

"I'll….. handle….. this white wolf."

Ron nodded in response to Linpa's words, which meant leaving Berakt to her and going to confront the leader and the ship Grenil.

"I humbly accept it."

Although Berakt raised his sword and attempted to stop Ron from leaving, he couldn't resist Linpa's relentless attack.

"You damn mutt... I am your sworn enemy... Understand the situation."

The ship Grenil still couldn't unleash its thunderbolts as recklessly as before. Jin continued to control the final form of the Annihilating Dark Sky Flame Orb, and the chains of fire were still coiling around the ship Grenil.

'Kinzelo's leader seems to be handling Murakan quite calmly.'

Murakan had been continuously using a lot of shadow force for defending the ground, but even taking that into account, the leader clearly outclassed him.

The leader's swordsmanship was exceptional. The leader's sword possessed a depth that would never fall behind compared to any sword Jin had ever seen before.

Murakan alternated between his human form and his true form while engaging the leader in aerial combat.

The leader moved through the air as if it were solid ground and showed his familiarity with aerial combat.

[I felt it back then too, but are you really the Murakan I know? Why have you become so weak, my friend? Thinking back to those days when you were so imposing makes me want to shed tears.]

[Is that so? I admit it, I've gotten weaker. I've regained some strength, but I'm still not what I used to be in the old days. That's why I learned something.]

Murakan surprisingly accepted it without getting agitated.

[It gets more and more surprising. Murakan, the strongest in the world, is learning something? What is it?]

[Human beings use phrases like 'one person attacking a lot of people' or 'a lot of people attacking one person' or something like that.]

Screeeech-!

The wind brushed past the leader's back. It was Ron's formless sword energy. When Ron's formless sword energy grazed the leader's steel bones, it created a friction sound that tore the eardrums.

"Metal, it's quite an unpleasant sensation."

Ron leaped forward and made a horizontal slash that cleaved through the torso of the leader.

Although the steel bones were easily severed by Ron's formless sword energy, the leader reattached them effortlessly.

In other words, Ron's sword had merely passed through as if it were water, and there had actually been no impact on the leader.

In a sense, Ron's sword felt as if it had just passed through, but it didn't mean there was no damage at all.

"In the end, this too is merely a regeneration, it cannot be infinite. I will cut you down until you can't regenerate again..."

Jin and Murakan shared the same judgment as Ron.

They couldn't read the leader's intentions at all, but they had made this judgment based on Berakt's change in behavior.

'Ever since the leader appeared and started using his powers, Berakt has become increasingly anxious. The leader's abilities likely come at a high cost.'

It must have been quite a significant price if someone like Berakt had lost his composure.

'It must be the leader's vitality or something crucial to Kinzelo.'

Murakan swung his front paw to create an opening and Ron once again struck the leader's spine with a horizontal slash. Leader's steel sword grazed Murakan's forehead, but it wasn't a fatal blow.

On the ground, Linpa continued to pressure Berakt, while the other warriors tended to the wounded. 

Among them, only the knights of Hairan were organizing their ranks, and spread out to pour sword energy toward the ship Grenil, which was bound by great magic.

The situation was rapidly stabilizing.

However, the problem was that Jin was still holding onto Grenil by himself. 

The assault on the ground would resume if he were to release Grenil, and while the elite warriors would suffer little damage, the ordinary civilians and lower-ranking warriors who hadn't left the battlefield would face death.

"Ugh!"

A trickle of blood seeped from Jin's lips. The backlash of mana was beginning.

'It's still okay, for now.'

Jin wouldn't be able to maintain the magic while suppressing the backlash in a situation where attack can come from anywhere. But for now, he could focus solely on his magic.

'I don't know whether the leader's power runs out first or my backlash erupts first, but it'll probably be the former.'

Isn't it time for them to come?

Jin spat out the blood and shifted his gaze far into the sky. In any case, this battle would undoubtedly turn in Hairan's favor when they arrive.

'The Dragon Knights.'

The Runcandel have the Black Knights, Zipfel have the White Nights and the Spectre corps, and Vermont have the Imperial Guard and the Special Task Force.

Hairan also possessed elite knights befitting the three great families. The strongest knights of Hairan, the Dragon Knights.

Jin only needed to hold out until they arrived. Even if he left the battlefield right now, nobody could point fingers at him.

Jin was already putting forth his maximum effort in a fight he didn't need to engage in as an outsider.

Kaaaah!

A sharp howling resounded from beyond the black dawn sky. A smile spread across Jin's lips after hearing the sound.

Ron and the other martial artists had the same expressions.

It looked like a flock of dragon-like creatures, Bird Dragon, was rapidly approaching the Sword Emperor Castle like shooting stars.

They were about thirty in number.

'It's the first time I've seen them in person.'

The Dragon Knights spread out in formation and encircled the battlefield.

The concept of an 'encirclement' might not seem feasible with only thirty of them, but each of them was a Hairan's best sword.

The entire battlefield was filled with the aura of the Dragon Knights in an instant.

"Commander of Dragon Knights!"

When Ron shouted, the man riding the largest of the bird dragons raised his sword.

"Yes, sir! At your command!"

"Half of you will handle the ground, and the other half will follow me. We shall annihilate the enemies."

Without the need for separate commands, the Dragon Knights swiftly divided into two groups. Half of them descended, while the other half ascended and gathered around Ron and Murakan.

At that moment, Jin released his hold on the ship Grenil.

The chains of fire that had been swirling through the sky converged into flame orb as the Dragon Knights closed in. Jin pointed his finger at the ship Grenil.

Then, once again, the black sky opened its maw wide and spewed forth a massive flame orb, the final form of the Annihilating Dark Sky Flame Orb.

Grenil attempted to increase its thrust to escape from the flame orb, but the Dragon Knights blocked its path.

Eventually, Grenil had to endure another round of destruction when the flame orb struck the hull.

The leader was already engulfed in the sword energy of Ron, Murakan, and the Dragon Knights.