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Most of the people on the ground couldn't immediately recognize the metal door that was forming in the sky out of nowhere.
However, they had a gut feeling that whatever emerged from that metal door would not be on their side.
"What is that...?"
"A person?"
"It's blurry and hard to see."
While the martial artists exchanged glances and words, Ron, Linpa, and Berakt also paused their fight momentarily and looked up at the sky.
Then, the leader came out of the steel door.
A unique whitish body surrounded by a dazzling radiance.
Surprisingly, the leader was floating in the sky. He was hovering in front of Grenil without wings or any visible equipment, and quietly looked down at the ground for a few moments, as if he were a god himself.
The battlefield had an atmosphere that would make you believe a god had descended. Giant monsters, mages, living golems, flying ship, and now an unknown figure shining brightly.
For a moment, most of the martial artists on the battlefield felt an eerie fear and unfamiliarity towards Kinzelo's leader. The warriors had an ominous premonition that the tides of battle could once again turn against them.
And Jin didn't particularly like the fact that warriors were having such feelings while looking at the leader.
A divine being, or a strange fear.
In Jin's opinion, such grandiose images didn't suit Kinzelo's leader.
"A vicious criminal."
No more, no less.
He could even add the adjective "stupid."
'If you wanted to give me a great benefit, you shouldn't have approached me befitting of that.'
Ssssss...!
A spark of fire shot from Jin's grip.
It was a feeble spark. However, the tiny shadow of that spark, like a dot on his palm, would soon become a formidable shadow force that would envelop the sky.
Annihilating Dark Sky Flame Orb– the final version of Demon Empress
The shadow of the spark shot into the sky.
The shadow force curtain of Murakan that had covered the entire sky, was torn and riddled with holes. However, it quickly began to regenerate as the legacy of Demon Empress was casted.
Jin released his shadow force and the connection between him and the sky began.
The suddenly darkened and unfamiliar sky was a sight that the martial artists couldn't have been more unaccustomed to just like the deeds Kinzelo had carried out in Sword Emperor Castle so far.
However, unlike the leader's appearance, the martial artists could clearly identify whose power this was and what it was exactly.
Shadow force.
The contractor of Solderet, the 12th flagbearer of Runcandel.
The warriors were also excited to see what kind of surprise Jin would show.
"Murakan."
[Yes?]
"Fill in the gaps in my shadow force."
Although Jin had somewhat recovered, he wasn't in perfect condition.
[Understood.]
There was no shortage of shadow force for casting Riol Zipfel's legacy with Murakan around.
Flap, whoosh!
As Murakan spread his wings wide and released his shadow force, black particles spread throughout the area like waves. The particles surrounded Jin and Murakan and shot into the sky.
It was as if they were opening a door.
The particles of shadow force extended all the way to the sky and drew a line that seemed to divide the sky in half.
Eventually, the line split, and a ridiculously enormous gate opened right in the middle of the sky while Riol Zipfel's radiant rune characters shining all over Jin's body.
The rune characters danced gracefully in the empty space, like sparkling snowflakes.
-[Ah! Damn it!]
-What's wrong, leader?
-[I left it behind. Damn it, the situation was so urgent that I didn't even think to grab it. Ha, such a mistake...!]
-What is it that you forgot? Oh, wait...!
-[Final version of Annihilating Dark Sky Flame Orb. I left behind Riol Zipfel's legacy that was stored at the headquarters of the Dark Magic Society... Did you bring it by any chance, Joe? Please tell me you did.]
-Huh. Well, that... leader, I didn't have the chance...
-You insignificant, useless bastard! Are you telling me that you, the leader of the Dark Magic Society, forgot about it? Does the leader have to pay attention to every little thing?
At that moment, the members of Kinzelo could only recall that conversation.
The transcendental great magic that Jin was displaying had been acquired by destroying the Dark Magic Society.
The legacy of Riol Zipfel that the leader and Joe had forgotten to retrieve was now about to become a disaster that would engulf Grenil and members of Kinzelo.
The rune characters weaving through the sky were the marks. As the marks pointed towards Grenil and Kinzelo's members, a massive sphere revealed itself in the opened sky.
People instantly thought it was the sun. Otherwise, there was no way to comprehend the enormous fireball that radiated intense heat down to the ground.
"This is... damn it! It's Riol Zipfel's...!"
"Joe! Deploy the shield!"
"Grenil hasn't been repaired yet... Argh!"
"Aaargh!"
Sizzle! Whoosh!
A shower of fireballs was powering down from the flame orb. The shower of fireballs was converging towards the ship and the leader instead of striking the ground.
Already, tens of thousands of fire tentacles were coiling around the ship Grenil. Grenil was trapped like a prey caught in a trap, and the leader's faint figure was completely obscured by the flames.
The sound of the ship Grenil being destroyed was spreading along with the fire beneath the black and reddened sky.
Crack, boom…! The hull was destroyed with each whip of the fire tentacles, and the fragments turned to ashes before they even reached the ground.
"Damn it...!"
Berakt roared in frustration and swung his greatsword.
The leader was engulfed in flames the moment he appeared and the useless Joe didn't know how to deal with the situation again, and the vice-leader was injured and barely rescued. So he was the only one who could stop Jin.
'I need to get rid of that damn magic. Otherwise, the leader's vitality could be at risk!'
Berakt swung his greatsword frantically while foaming blood and spit, but his opponents were Ron and Linpa. The two of them calmly blocked Berakt's attacks.
"You seem quite desperate. It looks like your master is in danger."
Ron accurately saw through Berakt's thoughts and commented, while Berakt responded with a roar. However, Berakt's roar couldn't instill the same fear on the battlefield as before.
If Ron and Linpa hadn't already disabled Grenil, they wouldn't have been able to push them into such a desperate situation so quickly after Jin casted his great magic.
The initially majestic form of Grenil was gone, and the burning ship seemed like it would be shot down at any moment.
On the other hand, the flames emanating from the final version of the Annihilating Dark Sky Flame Orb continued to intensify visibly.
The ground forces naturally concluded that the situation had changed.
But Jin, Murakan, and some exceptional warriors felt a strange unease.
'Even though the battleship Grenil is doomed to be destroyed, but the leader... He's not done yet.'
The leader was truly an enigmatic figure, veiled in secrecy. As a result, neither Jin nor his comrades, nor any other faction, knew exactly how formidable his abilities were.
However, considering that he leads the great faction called 'Kinzelo' and has used a power worthy of being called an authority, Jin couldn't imagine that it would all end so easily.
Creak, crack... Crash!
Finally, the battleship Grenil began to plummet.
It was split in half and destroyed to the point where its original form was unrecognizable, and anyone would find it hard to imagine the battleship Grenil returning to its original state.
As the colossal hull was about to crash into the ground, it seemed like the people on board, including Bishkel and his group, would also meet their final moments.
However, for some reason Jin felt a chill down his spine even at the moment the ship was falling. It was as if a cold piece of iron was passing by his back...
Jin suddenly turned his body and saw something.
Chunks of metal, steel.
It wasn't just a sensation born from a foreboding, but rather a sensation that originated from a real object. Unknown chunks of metal formed out of nowhere and soared into the sky after passing by Jin and Murakan.
These chunks of metal were not only affecting those two but were engulfing the entire battlefield. A whirlwind composed of steel chunks was devouring the entire battlefield.
[That's his power, kid…]
"...Yeah, it seems like that."
The leader of Kinzelo possessed the ability to manipulate steel like the god of blacksmiths.
And Jin also had a feeling the power of the leader was superior to that of Picon's authority of metal.
The rune characters rose in the air and marked the metal chunks. Chains of fire followed the runes and melted some of the metal but were unable to eliminate them all.
There was an overwhelming amount of metal in the air, enough to overshadow Jin's flames.
'Fortunately, these metal chunks don't seem to have any particularly dangerous energy... Perhaps they're not meant for killing?'
The metal chunks didn't seem to be attacking the enemies like Jin's flames. Instead, they were wrapping around the falling battleship Grenil. Suddenly, a giant hand made of metal was formed and supported Grenil.
[Indeed, it was quite a grand welcoming party. I've had quite a tough time all along because of the legacy of Riol Zipfel. It seems like that great mage and I just don't get along well.]
As the flames dissipated, the leader's form was revealed once again. Unlike the initial hazy and radiant form, he was now in the foam of resembling a "skeleton."
'He used his metal manipulation abilities to create bones...?'
-Well, you assumed quite a lot based on Murakan's memories earlier, didn't you? This time, let me guess your psychology. You came here to save those three, and you set up some kind of trap. But now, your gut is churning because we're not falling for your trap.
-[Phuaha…]
-Why are you laughing like a scumbag? Did I get it wrong? Where are you trying to lead us? Answer me.
-[Well, I took a good hit there. You're right, Jin Runcandel. You guessed almost everything correctly. Right now, I'm in no condition to deal with you properly. As you can see, my body doesn't even have bones.]
The conversation Jin and Murakan had on the day they first met the leader flashed through Jin's mind.
The leader, now forming "steel bones," exuded an incredibly powerful aura compared to that time.
Although his face wasn't very clear and hard to see, Jin could be certain that the leader was smiling.
[It's been a while, Jin Runcandel. How have you been?]
"We're not here for a friendly reunion..."
Jin shifted his gaze behind the leader as he stopped speaking.
There, what had seemed to be completely destroyed and falling battleship Grenil was emerging from the giant steel hand, fully restored to its original condition.
It looked exactly the same as it did at the beginning, without a single scratch.
"...Isn't it?" Jin said and the leader shook his head.
[It's regrettable if you think that way. I've missed seeing you. After all, I need to recover the stolen legacy of the great mage as well.]