[T.L: punisher87]
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The seabed, where the Bale had been awakened, had become a sort of stronghold.
"Hedo! This has been going on for more than three days. What if something goes wrong with Jin?"
Sandra shouted, stamping her feet. Hedo silently looked up at the sky and watched Jin fight with an unidentified divine being called Bale.
Today was April 24, 1803.
The battle between Jin and Bale had already exceeded two days and a half without reaching a conclusion. No one had expected the battle to last this long.
Furthermore, Jin and Bale had chosen the surface of the sea as their stage, instead of the seabed. Due to spatial constraints, it was naturally believed that Bale would have the upper hand. However, Jin, as a magic swordsman, utilized his abilities to prolong the fight.
"If I had known it would come to this, I wouldn't have listened to Jin's request. Ah, that Bale doesn't even obey my commands anymore! I shouted for it to stop numerous times."
"… It's not that he is not obeying, but rather he can't hear you. Cemetery giants have erected thick protective barriers. You should go over there and freshen up or take a short rest. It seems like your eyes might burst from their redness, my lady."
At Hedo's words, the cemetery giants nodded as if he was right.
Most of the structures formed underwater were akin to altars for Bale, but there were also facilities resembling religious structures that included toilets and washrooms. Thanks to this, those who remained underwater were not too inconvenienced as they watched the fight.
Of course, although their bodies were not uncomfortable, their minds were restless. The Vamel Alliance was anxious about the possibility of Jin getting injured, and Hedo's stomach turned at the mere thought of the situation after the battle ended.
However, amidst their turmoil, the underwater spectators occasionally found themselves entranced. The battle between Jin and Bale created such magnificent moments that they unknowingly became immersed in it.
Hedo, in particular, marveled as a martial artist.
'Is it because of the aura possessed by the Twelfth flagbearer? Bale's ability to explode the Chaos Dragons in mid-air has not been manifested even once... While Bale fights fiercely, the Twelfth flagbearer is focused on breaking his own wall.'
Others wondered if such a fight was possible, but to Hedo's eyes, Jin didn't seem to be engaged in a battle but rather immersed in training.
Swish!
The frozen seawater beneath Jin shattered, causing a whirlwind of water. The freezing of the seawater was due to Jin's mana, and he had been creating and manipulating such icy ground to fight for the past two days.
It was a stark contrast to the earlier scene where the group of swordsmen had quickly succumbed to the spatial limitations and were pushed back into the water.
The ever-changing landscapes of nature, ceaselessly shifting, made it appear as though the battle was not between human and divine being, but rather a confrontation between two godlike entities.
[You're persistent. But can you see the end now? Once you're defeated, Sarah and I will depart far away...]
"Crazy bastard."
Jin spoke while standing on the newly formed ice.
He no longer showed any respect for Bale as he did at first. Mixing his words with his sword strikes during the fight, Bale was an entity unworthy of his respect.
He was just a former ten great knight whose maniacal obsession with Sarah was all he had.
After Sarah's death, he went on a rampage and destroyed the world, expelled from the ranks of the ten great Knights, and a dishonorable existence that was sealed at the bottom of the sea for that reason.
Moreover, even after awakening after a thousand years, Veil denied reality and mistook Sandra for Sarah. Jin not only lacked respect for Bale but felt a strong sense of disgust.
[Shh, I'll admit that you're an unyielding bastard. That's probably why Sarah likes you. She has always had a fondness for such individuals. But what will you do with that exhausted body now?]
Jin had fought as efficiently as possible, but the prolonged battle inevitably resulted in minor injuries and decreased stamina.
On the other hand, Bale was still nothing different from the beginning. Just like Luntia in Subspace, Bale was using near-infinite power.
Minor injuries were promptly healed, and even wounds that would have been fatal for a human were restored within a few minutes.
Jin can't cut off the infinite source of power as he did with Luntia. The power of the Bale is not transmitted from subspace, but entirely his own.
[Looks like you don't have enough mana to freeze seawater anymore, right? Barely able to stand on two feet. You've been fighting so fiercely all this time. Nevertheless, I suppose you still have some hidden techniques left. I recommend you use them and exhaust yourself.]
As Bale spoke, the frozen seawater beneath Jin's feet was extremely limited. It was not securely fixed, and it seemed unlikely that he could move as stably as on land.
However, Jin remained strangely composed. Despite his rapid breaths and the blood flowing from the wounds that covered his body, indicating that his physical limits were approaching, he did not seem to lose his composure.
In fact, Jin hadn't expected himself to maintain such composure to this extent.
Throughout the long and intense battle, Jin was gaining enlightenment.
'Just two days ago, he felt like an opponent I could never overcome... But now, it seems I can handle anything.'
From Ranke Halovice to Smarion Proch, the all-out attack on the Garden of Swords, Luntia Runcandel, Fake Yona, and up to this moment.
Since returning to the human world from Laprarosa, Jin had fought tirelessly.
All the experiences gained from those battles were now blooming and awakening Jin in an instant through the fight with Bale.
"At first, I hoped that by fighting you, you would regain your senses. I wanted you to accept Dame Sarah's death and hoped you would calmly listen to Dame Sarah's final moments and her will that she left with me. I thought that if you really loved Dame Sarah, that would be the only outcome."
[Sarah is waiting for me down there.]
"But what kind of sight are you showing me now? You just babbled nonsense. It just shows that you're afraid of accepting Dame Sarah's death. She loved Runcandel and went on to live like an everlasting flame, striving to save the world."
[Shut up!]
"Dame Sarah is one and only, and no one can replace her. So stop insulting Dame Sarah, you never loved her, you only used her for your selfish desires. You talk as if you'll die without Dame Sarah, but when you realize that Dame Sarah is no longer in this world, you choose the weak option of denying reality instead of mourning or carrying on her legacy."
Bale swung his sword and wings at Jin. The fierce energy and golden aura violently overturned the sea, but Jin remained unaffected as if it were an illusion, never losing his center.
It was the result of enduring the shocks. Bale didn't care. Throughout their previous battles, Jin had evaded attacks like this to buy time, so Bale didn't need to pay special attention to it.
However, for some reason, Bale felt a chill down his spine.
'Is he finally unleashing his hidden move? Flames of hell, or maybe the shadow sword or the swordsmanship of the Plutonian ?'
Whatever it was, Bale was confident that he could handle it.
It was because he could clearly see the remaining strength in Jin's eyes. If he had prepared from the beginning, it would be a different story, but at this moment, it seemed like Jin couldn't muster enough power to threaten him, no matter what he did.
Swish...!
The blue flames that started to engulf Bradamante were composed of faint mana.
Mana was the most heavily consumed power by Jin so far. He had to keep using it to freeze the sea.
Bale couldn't understand Jin's intention to unleash his final move through mana, not through shadow force or lightning energy.
[The flame of hell that you opened two days ago, saying that you learned this directly from Sarah, was pretty plausible, but... you won't even be able to imitate her flames of hell.]
Bale continued to unleash sword strikes and abilities, but Jin didn't waver.
"This isn't Dame Sarah's flames of hell, Bale."
When Jin replied in a calm voice, Bale screamed instead of answering and detonated his authority.
Like a wild beast hesitating to touch a torch, Bale stuck to long-range attacks.
He should have fallen, but he didn't.
Bale felt that way about Jin now. Just as Jin didn't fall, the faint flames enveloping Bradamante didn't extinguish.
The moment everyone thought, "What's wrong with Bale?"
Jin made eye contact with him and smiled. Hedo, who was watching from the bottom of the sea, knew that this was the moment Jin broke through the wall. Only Hedo recognized that fact.
"It's hard for you to understand why I, who should be exhausted, don't fall and why this weak flame doesn't go out. And your instincts are telling you. Don't close the distance between us."
Bale's face, which had never lost composure, was quickly becoming restless.
[... What is the identity of that fire?]
Bale believed that he had an absolute advantage in every aspect. While Jin's power was dwindling, Bale remained in a state similar to the beginning of the fight.
However, his thoughts were rapidly changing.
He felt a pressing certainty that touching that fire would result in his defeat.
"A fire that started from Dame Sarah and became solely mine."
The fire enshrouding Bradamante remained in a hazy state.
Since it was in its completed form, it didn't transform into a more intimidating shape. That meant it remained the same regardless of whether Jin was exhausted or fully charged.
It was a newly created and unnamed magic sword technique.
In a sense, while fighting Bale, Jin had created his own ultimate technique.
With the sword unfolded for the first time, Jin slowly started approaching Bale. Frozen seawater formed a staircase-like path with each step he took.
"Whether this fire becomes your new guidepost or a weapon that confines you is up to you."
Bale rushed at Jin while screaming.
But just before the blade made contact, he flinched and froze in place. He rushed forward in excitement, but if the blades started clashing, he felt that he would be instantly overwhelmed by those strange flames.
"It means I'm giving you one last chance. From now on, think carefully and answer my question, Bale."
Who is the person below us right now?
In response to that question, Bale remained silent for a while with his eyes closed. His crossed-out pupils trembled anxiously.
[... Zipfel.]
"Yes, Dame Sarah died a thousand years ago. The person you believed to be Dame Sarah is Zipfel, the descendant of her sworn enemy, and my comrade."
[Why do you wake me up and even reveal such a terrible truth? What have I done wrong to you? In this cruel world, I cannot even die at will... How cruel.]
Jin felt a slight sense of remorse at Bale's reaction.
For the first time in their conversation, Bale, who had shown a glimpse of humanity, appeared as a vulnerable young beast without even the minimal shell to protect himself.
The immense sorrow that Bale had finally accepted upon Sarah's death seemed to transmit to Jin as well.
However, despite the sadness, Jin had to continue pressuring him.
-[Sarah! If she is dead, I will destroy the whole world!]
Because as soon as Bale woke up, he might run amok and do what he said. According to Cuicantelle, he already had a history of destroying the world by going out of control every day a thousand years ago because of Sarah's death.
"So, are you going to destroy the world as you please now?"
At those words, Bale let out a devastated laugh.
[If that woman named Sandra Zipfel wants it, then I must.]
"Even after realizing that it's not Dame Sarah but Sandra Zipfel, you won't stop that mad act... Wait, Bale. Could it be?"
Suddenly, an ominous memory surfaced in Jin's mind from two days ago, a conversation between Bale and Sandra, like ominous smoke.
-[Anyway, everything is fine, Sarah. You've changed from what I remember, lost your right arm and become weaker... But now, I will protect you, just as you protected me.]
-Are you going to protect me?
-[Yes, Sarah Runcandel. My life, soul, and powers exist solely for you.]
"Golden oath... Have you already pledged a golden oath to Sandra and put prohibitions on yourself?"
Bale nodded his head helplessly.
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