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***
The Tomb of Swords.
Huphester named the newly built castle in the Garden of Swords as such.
The Huphester press was pouring out praise for Rosa's power and the army of chaos relentlessly building the castle.
The temporary alliance had been conducting strategy meetings day and night, gathering information about the Tomb of Swords. Orgal had been patrolling the vicinity of the Garden of Swords through the steel gate every day.
"Judging from its appearance, it already looks complete... Such a gigantic castle? It's only been two days since the first report came in!"
"To think she can wield such power without even reclaiming the strength she gave to the Fourth flagbearer. Truly, a god is a god."
Octavia and Veradin said. The others in the room also showed signs of shock.
Compared to the former palace of Vermont, the colossal fortress had been completed in just a few days, so it was only natural.
It was also an entirely unexpected development.
The only remaining issues for the temporary alliance were the incomplete battleship Ram and the injured Rosa.
The issue of a super-sized fortress, like a castle, without any precedents in human history, was not something they needed to consider.
Talks about the castle continued for a while.
The true reasons behind why Rosa built the castle, what she hoped to gain from it, and whether the forces of the temporary alliance could break through the chaoa structure.
Of course, no clear conclusion could be reached.
However, there was a prevailing opinion regarding the "purpose" behind Rosa's construction of the castle.
"It seems to be a measure to recover from the blow caused by the Fourth flagbearer's death. It's a kind of display. She still believes she possesses that much power."
Ronil nodded in agreement with Kadun's words.
"I think so too. Although the castle was completed so quickly, construction of the battleship Ram, the real symbol of evil god's authority and strength, remains at a standstill."
"A display, you say..."
As soon as Jin spoke, everyone's attention turned to him.
Jin's face was noticeably more pale than during the first meeting. Dark circles formed under his eyes, and his hair appeared disheveled. His face seemed worn-out.
It was because of nightmares.
Since Rosa began building the castle, Jin had been plagued by intense nightmares every night. Nightmares involving Rosa.
It wasn't psychological pressure or anxiety that caused the nightmares.
Rosa's power and will were directly infiltrating Jin's inner self, as if the Glyek within the white stone had devastated Dante's inner being.
As a result, Jin was constantly fighting against her will even when he slept.
No, even when he was awake, he constantly felt her influence without a moment's respite.
The alliance members and his comrades were aware of this fact. Though the decisive battle had not yet begun, one could say that the "inner battle" between Jin and Rosa had already commenced.
"She doesn't need that kind of thing."
It was a resolute statement.
After the first major attack, only Jin had "directly" experienced Rosa's power within the temporary alliance.
Therefore, Kadun's boasting about displays seemed ridiculous to Jin.
"What do you think then, 12th flagbearer?"
"It's like a grand tomb, just as its name suggests. A tomb where I will be buried."
A moment of silence passed.
Jin carefully surveyed the allies and comrades around him.
There was a sense of unease in their eyes as they looked at Jin.
Jin was Rosa's only opponent.
It was no exaggeration to say that everything depended on the one-on-one battle between him and Rosa in the impending showdown.
With each passing day, Jin felt increasingly overwhelmed by Rosa's power even before the fight began, and it was only natural to be concerned.
[Considering the obsessions that the evil god has shown you so far, it might be possible.]
As Orgal spoke up, Jin nodded.
"We won't have a chance to analyze the structure of the castle or assess its internal power. It will be one battle, one outcome. That will determine our... no, the world's fate."
Jin stood up from his seat.
"In two weeks."
[Two weeks?]
"I will strike at the Garden of Swords then. I will prepare myself to overcome Rosa's nightmares and fight in my best condition by that time. The temporary allies can finish their preparations during that period."
"And if you can't overcome Rosa's nightmares by then?"
"In that case, we will have to postpone the date. There's no point in going into battle in this state when we can't possibly win. It's a rhetorical question, Veradin. On the other hand, if I manage to expel Rosa's power and return to my original state before then, we will launch the assault immediately."
"So it means we could set off as soon as tomorrow. Understood, I'll get prepared. Kinzelo, do you agree?"
[I agree.]
"From now until the final battle, should I only participate in these meetings when there is something I absolutely need to be present for?"
It was a message indicating that Jin would focus on improving his physical condition. It was far more important to overcome the nightmares as quickly as possible than for Jin to participate in the meetings directly.
"That's fine. The detailed operations will continue to be relayed anyway, so feel free to voice your opinions whenever you have them."
***
Since that day, Jin has spent his time in the Hidden Palace.
There was no better place than the Hidden Palace to end the inner battle he was fighting against Rosa's power, without caring about anything else.
The only comrades who came with him to the Hidden Palace were Gilly, Valeria, and Qwaul. In the calm and cold space, Jin spent a lot of time sitting cross-legged, practicing meditation.
Although it couldn't be seen by others, within Jin's inner self, a fierce battle unfolded at every moment.
When he opened his eyes, Rosa's voice echoed in his mind, and when he closed his eyes, Rosa's sword surged into his heart.
When he slept, Jin dreamt of Rosa killing him and his precious ones, and he could only watch helplessly. It was a constant struggle to distinguish whether it was reality or a dream.
Therefore, Jin's chosen method was to minimize sleep and focus on meditation. There was no other means to resist Rosa's mental attacks.
'It's not like you don't know that these tricks won't work on me.'
'I admit they have some effect. But if I win in this fight, it seems like you would lose something too.'
'Well... If there is something I have left to lose, it's only you, my son. You are the last remaining joy for me.'
The inner conversation within Jin couldn't be heard by others, but he conveyed the content to his frustrated comrades.
"Phew."
A group of small beastmen at the entrance of the training ground gazed up at Jin, pushing their heads forward.
They were members of the Golden Peng and Water tail tribesmen.
"Look, Jin. It's tough, die, you can't."
"Oh, what do you mean die! Hmm, it seems like he doesn't have a hint of color in his face as if he is seriously ill. His body looks dehydrated, yet he is sweating so much. And he keeps groaning, it's distressing."
Darkflame and Peng expressed their concern.
"Does he need some medicine or something?"
"We have, eel jerky. Should we give it to him? Jin. It gives strength when you eat it."
"Do you think that would work? Huh? Eh, isn't there some kind of elixir in the hidden palace? Why doesn't the acting master of hidden palace bring it out quickly? Is she saving it for something!?"
"No, medicines like that are useless, that's why."
Suddenly, the voice of Syris was heard, and Peng covered his mouth.
In no time, Syris was also stretching her head out towards Jin like the small beastmen.
"Whoa, what a surprise. It doesn't look like I'm gossiping behind your back, acting master of the hidden palace. It's just that I was worried about him and said those things. Haha."
"That's right, Peng talked behind your back."
"Anyway, you only speak properly in moments like this!"
Syris ruffled the heads of the small beastmen while pressing her index finger against her lips. It meant to be quiet and not disturb Jin's meditation.
Every day was like this. Jin meditated while his comrades watched from a distance, keeping an eye on him. It was like a whole family being cautious around someone preparing for a big test.
One day, Syris asked Jin a question first.
"Jin, I can give you my mother's closed training grounds. Why do you insist on the public training ground?"
"It's because it's slightly better to sense the presence of close people."
Syris looked at Jin, taken aback by his unexpected answer.
"To resist the attacks of evil god?"
"That's right. Knowing that there are comrades nearby sometimes serves as a reference point. When my self sinks and I'm on the verge of being overwhelmed by Rosa's psychic attacks, if suddenly I hear a comrade's voice, footsteps, or a cough, it helps me regain my composure."
"So you mean you need a moderate level of familiar noise."
"Exactly, Lady Syris. If it's too noisy, I won't be able to concentrate on resisting the psychic attacks."
"It's hard to believe that someone as strong as you can be so overwhelmed by psychic attacks even seeing it with my own eyes."
"It's just... It feels like being tied up and sinking into the abyss, and as you go deeper, you start seeing the bodies of the people you care about. It's a feeling of that horror persisting 24/7 in the boundary between reality and psychic attacks."
"Seriously despairing. Is there any improvement at all?"
Syris asked again, cautiously.
Jin's face was much worse than it was on the first day he came to the hidden palace.
"To be honest, I don't know. And... when the time comes to completely end the psychic attacks, that's when the closed training ground will be necessary."
"In the end, there will be a moment when you have to fight alone."
"Yes. It's just a gut feeling, but that will definitely happen."
As comrades, they couldn't help but feel frustrated. Before the temporary alliance launched a full-scale attack, Jin was already fighting a difficult and lonely battle.
That's why the comrades could only vaguely imagine the struggle Jin was going through and cheer for him.
However, since Jin arrived at the Hidden Palace.
Rosa's psychic attacks began spreading to his comrades, including the key figures of the temporary alliance.
The first one to have nightmares similar to Jin's was Syris.
"Aaah!"
"Acting master!"
"Captain!"
When they heard Syris' scream, Hidden Palace's Seven Swords and the guards hurriedly entered the hidden palace master's chamber.
They saw Syris, drenched in sweat and trembling all over.
It was the first time they had seen Syris so terrified.
Syris closed her eyes and took a deep breath, she wasn't so terrified even when she had a nightmare in her, and did not show signs of distress even when she was training severely as the next master of the hidden palace.
"Captain, are you okay?"
"Ugh, huh... Jin, where's Jin?"
"Captain?"
"Do you endure this kind of thing... every day?"
Syris said that, and for a while, she couldn't think straight.
While Rosa's terrifying presence paralyzed her body, an unbearable sense of pity soared for Jin.
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