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Ha...…!
Lightning poured down wherever Sigmund and Silus's blades collided. They showed no signs of backing down, even as they were hit by the lightning of Plutonian Reign sword vomited by the clouds and the blue thunder poured out by thunder of retribution.
On the contrary, they stepped towards each other more ferociously and quickly.
The aftermath of their battle now ravaged the entire Garden of Swords. The storm of their sword energies had spread beyond the tombs where the ancestral guardians' swords were embedded, reaching the outer walls and the main house.
Kaio, who started attacking again, was not affected by the Plutonian Reign Sword.
Rather, he seemed to strengthen the god killer with Jin's lightning energy, just as he resonated with the energy of battle god.
Still, the whole of Kalon was eroded by chaos, but the energy of chaos could no longer be found in the Garden of Swords.
It was because the lightning of Jin, Kaio, and Padler had erased the chaos in the Garden of Swords.
But to Jin, seeing the blue shining garden of swords now seemed more agonizing than when it was filled with chaos.
[Ahhhhh...!]
Padler roared.
His body was being torn apart. There was a hole in his left cheek, while his waist twisted and snapped, emitting gruesome sounds of bones breaking and resetting.
Just then, a giant arrow from god killer pierced the middle of his chest. Through the gaping hole in his chest, one could see the lightning behind him.
Even so, Padler did not fall down and swung his sword again.
His body, which should have died and stopped more than ten times, only emitted more formidable power with each blow.
Where do I have to cut to finish him?
It seemed like he wouldn't stop even if his neck was dropped. It seemed that he would stop only if everything that made up Padler's body destroyed—his blood, his flesh, and even the last piece of bone.
"Stubborn ghost...."
Kaio said as he pulled back his bow string.
The word "stubborn" didn't refer to the chaos energy that composed Padler. It meant a special condition that Padler was going through.
Transcendence.
The transcendence of a martial artist who overcomes the limits while facing a formidable enemy, allowing Padler to continue wielding his sword despite being torn apart.
Just as Ron Hairan had transcended the fate of death in the war of the sword Emperor castle...… Padler is also crossing the boundary by clashing swords with Jin.
'Temar. I can see it now too...… the next realm.'
With each passing second, Padler felt his body grow lighter.
It seemed that the destructive power of the original, Plutonian Reign Sword, which overpowered the thunder of retribution at the beginning, no longer seemed like a threat.
There wasn't much emotion while he was driving away Sigmund, and even when lightning cut through his body, he didn't feel any pain.
"But even if you go beyond that realm... what meaning does it hold?"
The arrow of god killer passed through Padler once more.
"Nothing but futile hatred, unable to overcome even chaos. You could never defeat Brother Jin. Even if he didn't call me."
Just because you're transcending like Ron, it doesn't mean everyone can achieve results like Ron.
The values of protecting people despite being consumed by chaos and the desire to kill couldn't be the same.
As if to refute, Padler dug in and left a long gash on Jin's chest.
Jin pushed Padler away without flinching, and there was a sound of something snapping as Padler hit the ground.
Then he stood up again and aimed Silus.
As his appearance became more miserable, the energy of the thunder of retribution was amplified.
It was growing endlessly. In terms of power alone, thunder of retribution reached a level comparable to that of Plutonian Reign Sword.
It appeared to be out of control. The blue thunder went beyond the cloud formed by the Plutonian Reign sword and caused damage to Ram, the chaos dragon, and the black battleships.
"In the end, you've lost your reason and started striking even your allies. From brother Jin's perspective, this isn't bad at all."
[He is not losing his mind, brother Kaio.]
Jin rather thought the opposite.
"What?"
[Since it's going to be the end anyway, it seems like he is trying to destroy everything possible in Runcandel...….]
Wow...…!
A massive crack appeared beneath the lower part of Ram. The chaos dragons and black ships that were flying below them instantly turned to ashes.
The major factions waiting outside were able to see Ram becoming unstable for the first time.
Space began to open in the sky.
"As the leader said, the 12th flagbearer is damaging Ram's power...…."
Berakt said. He was mesmerized by the immense lightning illuminating the Garden of Swords, following the blue flame from earlier.
They felt awe and excitement at the sight of such immense power, something they would never have seen unless it was the patriarch, Chiron Runcandel, or the dead Ron Hairan.
[It is not the power of the 12th flagbearer, but the power of the great knight of Runcandel, the Blue Thunder King. Rosa Runcandel and the Prophet have been overly ambitious.]
"... Are you saying that there is another knight like the 12th flagbearer in the Garden of Swords?"
[Yes. But it's a dying ember. The entire fleet, ready for intensive bombardment. We cannot afford to miss this opportunity.]
Unlike Zipfel, Kinzelo's fleet has not yet suffered significant damage.
As the battleships, led by Grenil, gathered at the forefront, the fleet of up to five hundred battleships all loaded their main cannons.
Aaaaa...…!
Like a meteor shower, the bombardment rained down towards Ram and the Garden of Swords. More than 80% of the fleet's attack was directed at the garden of swords, because it seemed that their attack would not be enough to hit Ram, but Zephyrin's breath struck Ram's side.
Upon seeing Kinzelo's bombardment from the opposite side, Zipfel also rallied its fleet. Their main cannons were all aimed at Ram.
[We must strike before Runcandel's battleship recovers...…!]
A mountain of fire was forming behind Kadun. He managed to release all his stored power while enduring Ram's main cannon and tearing apart the Chaos Dragon and the black ships.
'Damn it, the soul of ten great knights from the tomb...… I didn't expect this to happen.'
The Prophet chewed on his lip, eyeing Rosa.
It was Rosa who was instructed to summon Padler. So, even if Padler failed against Jin, Rosa would not blame her.
However, regardless of whether the mission to kill Jin succeeded or not, the Prophet's inability to control Padler stemmed from her own lack of ability.
If Rosa were to later question her about it, the Prophet would once again find herself vulnerable to her scrutiny.
'Ha, nothing ever goes as planned. Judging from the situation, it seems even Padler...… might not be able to defeat Jin. I should have warned her about the dangers of using the soul of the Great Knight.'
Even the Prophet had predicted that Stam and Lionel would not be enough, but Padler's case was truly unexpected.
She knew that even if there were variables such as summoning Plutonian tribesmen and Plutonian Reign sword, if it was Padler, he would be able to put an end to Jin.
'... Perhaps, it might actually be for the best. If even Padler is defeated, then Rosa Runcandel will have to take action herself.'
If so, it is highly likely that the speed at which Rosa's mind collapses will accelerate.
However, the Prophet did not have the justification to speak out before Rosa. So while she was thinking about it, Rosa opened her mouth first.
[I understand why Joshua in the past got defeated like that. Retrieve Padler's soul.]
"Are you saying you'll personally intervene?"
Rosa didn't answer, instead deflecting the incoming flames from Kadun.
Fragments of Ram, chaos dragons, and black ships floated in the messy black sky. In the meantime, Kinzelo's bombardment was hitting the garden of swords.
"Are these humans daring to challenge the gods like us? We only heard from you that it was dizzy outside, but I didn't expect it to be like this."
Kaio fired the god killer and intercepted the cannon fire falling towards Jin. Most of them were offset by Plutonian Reign sword and blue thunder, but occasionally, some shells managed to penetrate through.
Because Jin is arranging the power.
It was only natural because he was dealing with strong men like Stam, Lionel and Padler, one after another. They would have been absolute beings in any era without Chiron.
However, unlike Jin, Padler had no one to block the bombardment, nor the will to fend them on his own.
He didn't even dodge the cannon fire, and continued to radiate blue thunder all over the garden of swords and Jin.
An evil ghost who transcends through hatred, the final destination Padler was reaching resembled a monster like Smarion.
His appearance was no longer of a human. More than 70% of the body, which had been emitting a faint bluish light, had disappeared. His body, floating without legs, was riddled with holes.
How he was holding the sword with only three remaining fingers, with his half head gone, and his only eye was still filled with hatred.
Can this truly be called the result of transcendence?
In truth, the outcome was decided from the moment the Plutonian Reign Sword was executed.
The reason Jin couldn't finish him off was simply a matter of efficiency.
If Jin waits a little bit, the thunder of retribution will disappear and Padler would self-destruct.
After that, if even one of his fingers was left, it was clear that Padler wouldn't be a threat even if he crawled on the floor and came towards him.
The thunder of retribution started to subside.
But the next moment. Just like what happened to Lionel. Jin could see the soul draining from Padler's remaining body.
Unlike Lionel, the soul was refusing to leave the body. He was clearly resisting the Prophet's control.
"I have never seen such a grudge in my life, Brother Jin. Brother? Why are you approaching him? Isn't your shadow sword still unable to cut the soul? He is not even worthy to be cut. He's already a wreck."
Jin had a completely different thought when he was trying to cut Lionel's soul.
Jin was approaching Padler because he wanted to tell him something.
[Sir Padler.]
Padler swung his sword at the approaching Jin. The sword was just as powerful as a child wielding it. There was not even a scratch left on Jin's body.
No matter how great the grudge was, Padler's energy had really run out.
[Sir, you will be summoned again. That's the only reason why the person who summoned you is trying to retrieve the soul now.]
Even then, Padler continued to swing his sword. Resisting the Prophet's soul retrieval.
[So at that time, take revenge on me, rather than Runcandel and Temar from a thousand years ago...…. Please harbour hatred towards me, not the distant past about which even your memories are unclear.]
That would surely be better for you....
With those words, Jin watched Padler's soul escape.
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