[T.L: punisher87]
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Volgar and Bradamante collided in mid-air, leaving a black crescent in the void. The shockwaves spread from the two of them, causing the cracked ground to erupt with a black haze, resembling lava.
Jin clenched his teeth and looked up at Diphus.
Sharp horns, black eyes that could not be considered human, and even a sinister smile as if enjoying this horrifying situation.
Nowhere could he find the appearance of his second eldest brother, whom he had known.
Although it was the same when they met in the Empire before, now that fact haunted him even more.
Today, he had to finish him off no matter what.
"4th flagbearer... your sword seems lighter than I expected."
Jin's gaze fell on Diphus's left wing and chest, which were covered by his clothes.
Although concealed by his attire, Jin could still sense the lingering fire within.
[It's the result of underestimating you in the Empire last time. That's why I have prepared a lot...]
Behind Diphus, on the other side, fruits containing captured prisoners were constantly falling without respite.
Each fruit contained fifty people trapped inside. Whenever a fruit landed on the ground, it meant that at least dozens of people died or were injured.
[Let's enjoy this slowly, my youngest brother.]
There might still be Diphus inside that monster.
However, Jin decided to discard such thoughts. As Mary said, if he approached the situation with a half-hearted mind, it would only become more gruesome.
'Even if there is an injury from eternal flame, the fourth flagbearer is still a transcendent powerhouse. I have to fight calmly, even if it's for the sake of my brother.'
Determination filled Jin's eyes.
"Let's see if you can maintain that composure even after the battle is over, Fourth flagbearer. No... you monster who devoured my elder brother."
[You've been hiding the torment you've endured all this time, but it seems you're capable of such frightening words.]
Clang!
The two crossed swords, which had remained still, began to move again.
Jin pushed Diphus back and unleashed a lightspeed thrust, while Diphus flew backwards and swung the Volgar.
In an instant, a massive black aura engulfed the ground, threatening to swallow everything in sight.
Jin slashed Diphus' aura and charged forward, preventing him from creating more distance between them.
He couldn't afford to get his companions out of subspace.
However, even if it wasn't a shadow sword, people like Hedo could cut subspaces, so they would eventually escape.
'When my companions escape the subspace, I need to completely restrain elder brother Diphus so that they can focus on rescuing the prisoners.'
To do that, he had to address Diphus's mobility first.
He had to disable his wings to deal a fatal blow with eternal flame.
Since eternal flames couldn't be unleashed in the form of swordsmanship, the battle had to be brought into close quarters by any means necessary.
"You keep fighting as if you're running away. Don't you have the confidence to face me head-on, despite receiving the authority of the Evil God?"
[I told you to enjoy it slowly. Don't worry; one side will definitely meet its end today.]
As Jin pursued Diphus, he continued to catch glimpses of the prisoners.
Some fruits were already filled with corpses, while others contained survivors who were screaming for help.
If Diphus were to take them hostage and start threatening, Jin would have no way to stop him.
'The 4th flagbearer can't just take hostages recklessly. He must be aware that once he starts killing the prisoners, there will be no constraints on me and our alliance. If his plan from the beginning was to consume the prisoners like that, he would have done so from the start.'
If that's the case, then why is Diphus leaving the prisoners in such a state of abandonment?
He wasn't hiding them somewhere, and he wasn't maintaining a state that would make them easier to use as hostages.
Instead, the fruits containing the prisoners were scattered haphazardly near the vicinity of Rikalton Castle, as if beckoning someone to pick them up.
As that thought occurred to Jin, he felt that Diphus wasn't abandoning the prisoners, but rather "deploying" them.
'For what purpose are they being deployed?'
Swish!
Diphus's sword brushed Jin's cheek. His sword had a power that could transmit chaos like Rosa, causing Jin's illuminating heart to tremble as he repelled its energy.
At the same time, Diphus detonated one of the nearby fruits, making eye contact with Jin.
The people trapped inside the fruit shattered into pieces along with the fragments of the fruit, scattering in all directions.
[You shouldn't keep diverting your attention elsewhere when I'm right in front of you. If you're hoping for all the prisoners to explode and die like that, then feel free to continue...]
Diphus couldn't finish his sentence.
Jin suddenly surged forward and sliced through his left wing.
Diphus couldn't evade Jin's sword, which was much faster than he had anticipated during his pursuit.
[Kuu!]
If they were engaging in close-quarters combat on the ground, Diphus wouldn't have fallen victim to such an attack. His sword would have reacted before his head.
However, despite the speed of flight, there were many constraints on movement, and it hadn't been long since Diphus acquired the ability to fly.
Jin deliberately adjusted his speed to be dangerously close, as if barely catching up.
Of course, it wasn't a situation where he could narrow the distance instantly whenever he desired. He had merely used one of his reserved moves.
"You're the one who should stop your useless tricks. Threatening me with hostages? Go ahead and try it, let's see who dies first. Do you think we came to Rikalton without preparing for that?"
The final agreement among their allies in the operation was that even in the worst-case scenario where all hostages died, Diphus had to be eliminated.
[Hmph, I see. You're indeed good at lying and using deception. But to think you would resort to your hidden move just for one group of hostages.]
Diphus' left wing began to regenerate. It wasn't entirely untouched. Just before the blade made contact, Eternal flames briefly seeped into Bradamante.
However, unlike when it was severed by the Empire, the energy of eternal flame didn't penetrate deeply this time. It was hastily unleashed, and the cut was shallower than before.
[Just now, it was revealed that you need some time to fully utilize that flame of yours. I will respond more cautiously. So, get your act together, little brother, if you want to win. With such humane sentiments, you can't bring down both me and Mother.]
"That remains to be seen. But all those who spoke to me like that are all in the afterlife, Fourth flagbearer. Do you think you and the evil god expect a different outcome?"
Diphus was creating distance between them once again.
Flying was slower than before due to the eternal flame clinging to his left wing.
However, the constraint on Jin was also greater, making the pursuit still not easy.
As the chase progressed, for some reason, the two of them were gradually moving away from Rikalton Castle.
As they reached the vicinity of the dark forest engulfed in chaos, Jin realized that there weren't many fruits containing prisoners around.
'Now is the right time to rescue the prisoners. It seems that my companions have escaped the subspace, but what about the allied fleet?'
At that moment, a tremendous energy was felt from the direction of Rikalton Castle.
It was Hedo and his companions. They had finally pierced through the subspace and escaped to Rikalton Castle. As soon as Jin confirmed his energy, he detonated an orange signal flare.
It was a signal flare meaning that he was safe and rescued the prisoners first.
Diphus immediately understood the meaning of the signal flare.
Despite briefly dyeing the sky orange, he couldn't sense anyone approaching from that direction.
[It seems you lightly heeded my advice to get your act together. Wouldn't it be better for you to abandon the prisoners and join forces with your companions against me?]
"That's not your judgment to make."
The main reason why Diphus deliberately lured Jin further away from Rikalton Castle was Hedo and his companions.
In his current state, Diphus believed he couldn't handle both Jin and all of them attacking together alone.
Although Jin vaguely understood Diphus's intentions, moving away from Rikalton was not an entirely bad choice for him either. He could avoid the situation where Diphus was using the prisoners' lives as leverage.
Above all, Jin had confidence that even if he were to face Diphus in a one-on-one battle, he wouldn't lose. Even if Diphus were hiding a significant amount of power.
[I expected that response. After all, you knowingly walked into this trap. Anyway, this should be enough.]
Suddenly, Diphus stopped flying. Towering black trees stood between Jin and Diphus like pillars.
[There's one last thing I want to ask. The youngest,...… between the companions you brought and the prisoners, which side do you hope will survive and safely return to Tikan?]
-[It's frustrating at this point. No wonder you and Joshua always got beaten by the youngest. This is a bigger crisis than ever. Mother can't intervene, and the fire clinging to me is likely to remain until the youngest arrives. If a battle ensues, it means I could be overwhelmed by the youngest.]
-[You... you might be defeated?]
-[Yes, so we need to strategize. Even if I lose, Runcandel won't.]
A conversation between Ilina and Diphus before the operation began.
The plan that Diphus devised at that time was now complete.
Whoa!
The black trees dispersed into particles, and in an instant, the surroundings were engulfed in a black mist. Even when Jin stirred up the wind, the mist didn't dissipate.
'I don't think it's a sub-space. What is this?'
Although Jin couldn't visually confirm Diphus's presence, he aimed his sword in his direction without missing his energy.
After a moment, the mist suddenly cleared.
And as Jin surveyed the surroundings, he realized that the place where he was standing right now was not the center of Rikalton.
Even when he looked back, he couldn't see Rikalton Castle or the trees that trapped the prisoners.
'... Teleportation? Could it be that the mist was a dimensional portal?'
It was correct. Just now, Diphus unreasonably used the Authority of the Evil God to open the dimensional gate and teleport. He had his feet on the ground, not in the air. The left wing, which was cut by Jin and regenerated earlier, was seen falling to the floor.
[It seems you're finding it difficult to answer. However, regardless of which side you want to save more, you can't go to rescue them right now. This place is quite far from Rikalton Castle...….]
Diphus spoke while gripping his greatsword, Volgar.
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