Chapter 417

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The debris of Grenil couldn't even fall to the ground.

It was because of the sword energy that filled the black sky. The debris was turned to dust by sword energy and scattered like smoke, and the leader's form dissipated like scattering smoke."

'It's over.'

Now that the Dragon Knights have arrived, there is no way the situation would turn around again.

That's how Jin assessed the situation. 

There was no way to turn around the situation unless Zipfel suddenly sent reinforcements to Kinzelo, or the Vermont Imperial Family betrayed Hairan.

The alliance between Zipfel and Kinzelo had long been broken, so the former was impossible, and the latter was the same. Originally, the Dragon Knights belonged to Hairan, but the command was held by the Emperor.

It was the result of the imperial family's constant pressure on Hairan for generations. The Dragon Knights had come to defend their home under the Emperor's orders.

'Before they flee, we must inflict as much damage as possible.'

Even if the Dragon Knights joined the battle, it was impossible to completely annihilate Kinzelo here today. There is no way they would have attacked Hairan without preparing a means of escape.

Kudak...!

The raging flames of the Flame Orb that had been spinning fiercely suddenly stopped moving. A massive crescent-shaped mark appeared at the forefront of Grenil as if a giant had taken a bite.

Eventually, Jin wiped the blood from his mouth as the flames completely disappeared.

There was no need to worry about the backflow anymore. From now on, Jin's only task was to watch the battle.

On the ground, Linpa and the Dragon Knights continued to press Berakt. His heavily injured body, which had been completely healed, was covered in wounds once again.

However, Berakt couldn't be easily defeated as he was also among the world's top martial artists.

The Dragon Knights were digging in at the broken forefront battleship Grenil. It seemed that they couldn't easily infiltrate due to the resistance from members of Kinzelo inside and the structure of the battleship, but it was only a matter of time.

A moment later, Jin could see the leader suddenly reappearing at the broken forefront of Grenil.

The scattered and hazy energy formed the body of the leader in front of the ship. It was clearly an action to prevent the Dragon Knights from entering.

Furthermore, the process seemed to have taken quite a while, as the newly formed body of the leader was trembling like an aspen tree.

'I think he is overdoing it? To protect Grenil.'

Jin felt this way, and everyone else who witnessed the scene thought that as well.

'More precisely, he is not doing this to protect Grenil but to protect the passengers.'

The people aboard Grenil were all key members of Kinzelo. 

Bubare, the Sculptor of Chaos, vice-leader Bishkel, Cold Joe for living golem development, and Margiella.

Although it was unclear exactly what abilities Margiella possessed, judging by how she was treated, she was more than just Bishkel's sister. She also had a connection to chaos.

"All the Dragon Knights in the sky attack the battleship!"

When Ron gave the order, the Dragon Knights densely formed their ranks. The sharp sound of blast was created as the charging Bird Dragons rushed in.

Jin had already casted a powerful spell, and it seemed like the Dragon Knights could easily annihilate Grenil in an instant.

But at that moment...

Everyone on the battlefield had to realize that Kinzelo's leader had not yet revealed all of his power.

The leader's previously vague figure grew darker.

The blood-red pupils revealed a distinct glow. It wasn't just a special bloodlust or energy, but an inexplicably ominous feeling.

The leader's steel sword caused a shockwave in the empty space, and Jin couldn't help but gasp as he saw the sword emitting a streak of energy.

'Elder sister Luna's... Mind's Blade!?'

Crimson sword aura.

It was the same sword technique that Jin had only seen once before when Luna used it to cut down Andrei Zipfel using the Demon God's Stone.

Although it did not have the exact same form as the "Mind's Blade: Blood Moon" that Luna used back then, the crimson sword aura displayed by the leader unmistakably resembled Luna's sword. It was similar enough that one could believe it was the same person who had unleashed it.

"Be careful!"

"Block it!"

Ron and the commander of Dragon Knights shouted simultaneously.

The charging Bird Dragons suddenly twisted their bodies, and the Dragon Knights deployed their sword shields instead of attacking with sword aura.

The leader's sword was displaying a terrifying force that tore through the sword shields of Hairan's best knights like a piece of paper. It wasn't just a mere visual resemblance to Luna's sword.

Fortunately, no Dragon Knight lost their life or suffered fatal injuries due to the crimson sword aura. Only after it passed through the Dragon Knights did it finally stop upon colliding with Rashid's radiance.

'Elder sister Luna mentioned that she had defeated a demon when she retrieved Orgal's Pendant. Could it be that Kinzelo's leader was related to that demon?'

Jin couldn't confirm it immediately.

Even the Dragon Knights who had almost penetrated deep into the battleship were now being pushed back. The bird dragons who had come too close had their wings torn by the consecutive strikes of the crimson sword aura.

Kiaaah!

Other Dragon Knights descended to rescue the falling bird dragons.

At that moment, Jin unknowingly clenched his fist. This was because a person with the level of skill as the leader could not miss such an opening.

'It looks like the Dragon Knights' formation is about to break.'

Losing formation in such a chaotic battle would be more than just a setback—it could have devastating consequences. Especially if they lost the Bird Dragons, they would lose their aerial combat capabilities.

However, the leader couldn't exploit that opening and attack the knights.

Stumbling...

Instead, the leader showed the sign of exerting too much force. It was a vulnerability that should never have been shown to the enemy.

The leader was far from being in perfect condition as Jin had foreseen from the beginning.

But whether that would be good news for Jin, his comrades, or anyone who had to fight against Kinzelo was another question.

'It's scary to think that he can display such power even in his current state, where he's barely forming his entire body with his unique authority. If he fully recovers in the future...'

Jin couldn't even begin to imagine how strong he might become.

'Maybe he'll be on par with my father, if not stronger.'

Except for Battle God Vahn and Temar, nobody had ever given Jin such an impression. The power leader had displayed was that shocking.

Huuung!

Murakan carried Ron on his back and charged towards the leader. The leader was swaying in the air and missed the opening among the Dragon Knights.

Of course, it was an extremely short opening.

But the story could change when the one seizing that opening was Murakan, the Black Dragon, and Ron, the Sword Emperor.

[Destroy him, Ron Hairan!]

Murakan used his shadow force to form a shield around himself.

It was a shield to protect himself from Ron's attacks, but it also acted as a curtain and partially obscured the leader's view.

Ron's entire body glowed with radiance.

Soon after, he leaped forward from Murakan's back, and a dazzling light illuminated the area.

Overlord sword, Secret Technique

Sun.

It was the technique that Dante had used against the attackers, but Ron's Sun and Dante's Sun were only similar in name. But, of course they were on a different level.

Huaaaa!

The aura radiating from Ron formed a literal sun-like sphere. The leader and battleship Grenil were both engulfed by this sphere.

The Dragon Knights, including the ones who had been rescuing their falling comrades, joined forces again. Their role was to prevent the energy of the Sun from spreading to the allies on the ground.

Despite their efforts, deep and massive craters had formed across the ground. The shockwaves alone caused the entire terrain to vibrate, and the collapsing Sword Emperor's Castle wavered perilously as if it might collapse entirely.

The ear-splitting noise made one's ears ring, and the flashes of light pierced through the eyes like finely honed blades.

It seemed impossible for any living being to emerge from within Ron's Sun. Countless blades were being shot out inside that sphere, and slashing through battleship Grenil and the leader.

"Leader!"

Berakt looked at the sky with a worried expression. But before he could fully examine Ron's Sun, a massive greatsword from Linpa came crashing down.

Berakt's chest was sliced open by the greatsword, and he lost his ear in the ensuing attack. The two of his toes were severed just before the distance between them widened again.

In contrast, Linpa remained completely unharmed.

"Now... die."

Just as Linpa was about to cut off Berakt's life.

Ahhhh….!

A person's roar and a sharp noise of the Sun being "ripped apart," echoed through the sky.

It was Kinzelo's leader who had let out that roar.

A crimson light was spreading through the cracks that had spread throughout the Sun. It was the crimson sword aura.

The Sun had been destroyed.

Ron's secret technique, which he had unleashed with all his might, was now being shattered by someone else's sword beneath the sky of Sword Emperor Castle.

The light of the Sun and the crimson sword aura, which had filled the entire sky, faded away like receding waves. Even Murakan's shadow force that dyed the entire sky black, couldn't overcome the shock.

The sky quickly regained its original color.

And in the midst of it all, the half-destroyed Grenil was obscuring the morning moon and the leader standing at its forefront.

He no longer had a vague form like before. It was a demon very close to human form.

[Gehh...!]

His entire body was torn apart and bursting, and it was far from being in a recognizable state. His body was torn to shreds to the point where you could say it was halfway gone, and he was spewing blood.

Even his head that was only half left and oozing blood, took on a ghastly form that sent chills down the spine.

In front of the leader, Murakan was floating with his wings curled.

Flap!

Ron Hairan came out as Murakan spread his wings. He was injured, but unlike the leader, who was almost torn in half, he didn't seem to have suffered additional injuries.

However, Jin and the Dragon Knights, as well as Murakan, knew the truth.

Ron had suffered internal injuries to a degree that could be dangerous if he continued to fight.

On the other hand, the leader seemed to have an inexplicable composure despite his body being torn apart and vomiting blood. The battleship Grenil that he was protecting remained in the same state as before the great spell had hit it.

 The leader remained intact while Ron seemed to be on the verge of collapse.

Huff, huff...

The leader gasped for breath and raised his remaining arm to swing the steel sword. 

Then, a massive steel door, even larger than the battleship Grenil, opened in the sky, and the Dragon Knights attempted to fly towards it to prevent Grenil from reaching the door.

However, Ron stopped them with a glance. They didn't know what might happen if the battle continued further.

The leader nodded as if Ron's judgment was correct and he looked at Jin as Grenil passed through the steel door.

Then, a smile appeared on the leader's remaining half face and he leisurely passed though the steel gate.