Chapter 836

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[You... you had the aura of a Genesis knight.]

The fake Murakan said, covering the chest wound with his shadow force.

Although Jin had received that aura from Ron during the Sword Emperor Castle War, the strike that cut the fake Murakan's heart was solely the power of the Shadow Sword.

[No, no. You were cut because you are a fake. If you were my prime, this wouldn't have happened. You lousy fake.]

Despite appearing unharmed on the surface, the fake Murakan had experienced a significant loss with the shard of his heart detached.

From now on, the fake Murakan was no longer invincible against Jin's group.

However, they were also aware that they needed to be more cautious. Despite being fake, the opponent was depicted as Murakan in his prime. Of course, he couldn't match the real Murakan as depicted, but he was undoubtedly capable of annihilating the entire world within the painting.

As Bradamante soaked in shadow force again, Frey's Secret Technique, Hamalen's Wrath, was concentrating the icy storm on the fake.

At the same time, Dranax and Vyollo executed their Magic Sword Secret Techniques.

Runcandel Magic Sword Secret Technique:

Hell's Illusion Sword – Dranax Runcandel

Wind God Sword – Vyollo Runcandel

Dranax' Magic Sword was imbued with fire, and Vyollo's Magic Sword was imbued with wind. The two of them leaped left and right, and their swords spread huge fire and wind, forming their respective barriers.

Due to the whip-like properties of Illusion Sword of Hell, the fake was unable to move as the whip inflicted relentless damage, and his wings tore apart due to the continuous onslaught.

The only way to break through Hell's Illusion Sword was to attack Dranax with a stronger and faster strike.

Yet, even that path was blocked by Vyollo's Magic Sword.

God of Wind.

Vyollo was the first and the last Knight who gained this prestigious title due to the attribute of 'Wind'. Since the disappearance of the Runcandel Magic Sword techniques, the title 'Wind' had been mostly associated with contractors of the Melzaire, mainly mages.

However, Vyollo was the only one who had achieved the title of Wind God without the help of a god. He was the one who freely changed the sword winds ridden by the Ten Great Knights in the aerial battle, and he was the one who "slashed" the fake's wind so that he could not maneuver due to wind.

Although not visible to the naked eye, Jin could immediately discern that Vyollo's sword was absorbing and controlling the wind.

The absorbed wind was converted into Sword Wind by Vyollo at will, tearing apart the fake's entire body. The three attributes of the Magic Sword used by the Ten Great Knights were ensnaring the fake.

They didn't unfold their Magic Swords to deliver a fatal blow. They were solely using the swords to restrain the fake.

Only Jin could deal a fundamental blow to him. Jin, just like Temar in the past, was receiving support from the Ten Great Knights.

[Aaah!]

Murakan also joined forces with the Ten Great Knights. From a distance, he shot his breath to positions where the Ten Great Knights wouldn't be harmed, and up close, he fiercely tore into the fake, attacking with his front paws, wings, and tail.

Naturally, the Magic Sword Techniques did manage to hit Murakan to some extent, but the Ten Great Knights adjusted them well, so the impact wasn't severe.

Jin maintained the stance of being able to execute his sword technique at any time while watching the others in combat. Rather than going in himself to aim for the heart while Murakan and the Ten Great Knights suppressed the fake, he judged that sniping with sword technique was the right tactic.

They all had faith in each other and possessed the skill to predict each other's attack routes, making the tactic feasible.

'Hamalen's Wrath, Dame Frey's Magic Sword Technique is the center. However, the energy seems weaker than before, so it seems she is keeping Murakan's curtains in check.'

As expected, as Hamalen's Wrath weakened, the Ten Great Knights flexibly changed their combination attack as if they had already agreed on it.

Instead, Frey, riding Vyollo's Sword Wind, continuously targeted the fake's back along with Murakan. Despite losing stamina due to releasing massive amounts of aura and magic due to the Magic Sword Technique, each of her strikes possessed the caliber of a top-tier superhuman.

"Kaaah!"

The moment Dranax roared with momentum, beginning the climax of Hell's Illusion Sword, a single black blade cut across the sky.

It was Jin's Soul Slash, precisely cutting the fake's chest. Unlike before, no fragments fell off, but the Soul Slash had undoubtedly partially damaged his heart.

'Slowly but surely, eventually it will be completely destroyed.'

The fake still had some tricks up his sleeve.

However, Jin couldn't predict what they might be. He didn't know many of Murakan's techniques. Even Murakan himself said that during his prime, he usually just tore his opponents apart with overwhelming force, rather than relying on special techniques.

'Shadow force release, Black Chain, or Reinforced Breath might be among them, but there could be something else. Murakan hardly remembers his prime days.'

Slash!

The second Soul Slash divided the battlefield. Whenever Jin released the Soul Slash, Murakan and the Ten Great Knights momentarily scattered, switching to long-range attacks.

Once again, the Soul Slash didn't miss the heart. It cut his heart somewhere, passing through his back and the black sword energy came out.

[Argh!]

The fake spewed out disturbed shadow force and fell to the ground. The Hell's Illusion Sword coiled around his right leg, and Vyollo directed all the wind wrapped within his sword toward its descent.

Due to his impact, part of the Storm Castle collapsed, forming a massive pit, and the shockwave destroyed the walls.

Jin, who had just leaped for the first time, fired Soul Slash towards the pit from mid-air before the fake could come out.

Though he couldn't see, the sword energy, which had grown to its maximum size, was bound to hit the heart no matter where it struck. The sword kept bending and twisting as it was obstructed by something solid.

"Hoo...!"

Jin landed on the ground while catching his breath. His sweaty hair felt heavy, and after concentrating so intensely, his head felt a bit numb.

The fake was still alive.

They only stopped their attacks briefly to catch their breaths, but the party continued to gaze at the pit with a sense of dread.

Emerging from the broken ground, the fake's entire body wriggled like a maggot.

The dispersed shadow force around him flickered erratically, forming and fading repeatedly, and on his translucent chest, they could see his black heart damaged here and there.

It seemed like he had taken a significant blow.

A strange sense of unease washed over the party. They had an intuition that approaching now and trying to finish him off would only backfire.

[Puhuhuhu...]

The fake vomited shadow force and then let out a chilling laughter.

[What's this? Did you lose your composure? Huh?]

[Murakan... Suddenly, I understand why I'm here. I mistook myself for you.]

At those words, the party's eyes widened, especially the Ten Great Knights, who had to suppress their intense emotions. It was because they had resented Murakan all this time. Even though they fought alongside the real Murakan and rekindled their faith, hearing it directly from the fake's mouth was an entirely different feeling.

[Yes, you finally admit that you're a cheap imitation. You've struggled to imitate me so far. Now I'll finish you off for good... Ah, you persistent bastard. So, this is your last resistance, is it?]

The fake Murakan's shadow force was amplified. His blurry body turned black and dense once more, and a new pair of wings formed on his back.

The two horns on top of his head grew even larger, and his black-colored eyes blazed like fire. It was another state of Murakan that Jin and most of the Ten Great Knights had never seen before, and it was a form that Murakan himself couldn't recall.

Murakan began to experience severe headaches as he saw the fake's transformed appearance.

[Kugh... my head again, damn it.]

It was because of the memories. Murakan was recalling the memories he had tried so hard to forget—the days he wanted to forget, the things he didn't want to remember.

Jin remained vigilant, not taking his eyes off Murakan and the fake.

'Like on the day we first met Orgal, Murakan's condition deteriorated rapidly. Moreover, the power of this fake, it's hard to believe he is not a Genesis knight. Is it some kind of... awakening?'

He couldn't attack recklessly. The current fake Murakan had no openings, and everywhere his gaze and shadow force touched was under his control.

Even if he used Soul Slash to cut the heart, Jin doubted he could land an attack like before. It was like the real Murakan from that era was being recreated.

[Aaaaa...!]

[Murakan... you must be suffering. You believed all these events, all the countless slaughters and destruction I caused, were nothing but lies.]

[Shut up! I've never done such a thing...!]

"No, you slaughtered countless innocents like insects, executed the knights of your clan, stabbed a dagger into your trusted comrades' hearts, and even tried to harm your contractor.]

That's the truth, Murakan!

As soon as the fake finished speaking, Murakan rushed forward and released his restrained shadow force. However, in his frenzy, he seemed likely to suffer a fatal blow from the fake's power. He attacked without any concern for his own safety.

Helplessly, Jin and the Ten Great Knights threw themselves in front of Murakan to protect him. Black chains rained down from the fake's shadow force curtain that stretched endlessly in the sky, and Jin and the Ten Great Knights managed to fend off most of it and protect Murakan.

But they couldn't prevent one black chain from piercing Frey's waist. Stabbed by the chain, Frey froze in mid-air, immobilized.

Though not dead, a black mass emerged from Frey's body and was absorbed by the chain. It was her shadow.

"Frey!"

"Dame Frey, hang on!"

Murakan still couldn't regain his senses and continued his attacks on the fake, but the fake effortlessly blocked his approach with the shadow force curtain.

[Now Frey will die soon. Even if you cut the chain, once you get hit, you won't be able to avoid certain death. She died by your hands a thousand years ago, don't you remember? Will you keep denying the truth?]

After cutting the chain that had stabbed Frey, Jin fended off the other chains that flew towards Murakan.

[Murakan, of all the things I've recreated from the events a thousand years ago, there's only one thing you didn't actually do. This... destroying the Storm Castle without a trace.]

Black Dragon Ultimate Skill

Manifestation of Shadows

The fake was displaying Murakan's ultimate skill, which he had forgotten.

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