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The single black panther, who was engulfed in eternal flame, spread the flames to dozens of black panthers.
'The eternal flame doesn't move as I wish...!'
-[You reached the realm that Sarah desired, and you claim you can't control your flame? That can't be true, so hurry and attack me. Just a little scratch!]
The words Jin heard from Bale after discovering the eternal flame.
Naturally, the eternal flame is the fire that follows Jin's will.
If Jin desires to burn, even if he dies, it will continue to burn without extinguishing, and if he desires to fade away, it will immediately fade away.
However, the eternal flame was already deviating from that rule, starting from the first black panther.
It had formed a much larger fire than Jin had wished for.
The eternal flame was not completely disregarding Jin's will.
It just wasn't under perfect control as usual.
There were far more flames spreading haphazardly by attaching themselves to Jin's will than flames that extinguished by Jin's command.
'Did the evil god prepare this after elder brother Diphus suffered from eternal flame...?'
It was accurate.
The evil god was using the eternal flame "never extinguishing characteristic" in reverse.
The evil god did not know exactly how much Jin could perfectly control the eternal flame, but it was certain that it was not infinite.
Therefore, intentionally using chaos and the grudge Jin harbored as a catalyst to multiply flames and it seemed to be a way to pressure Jin, and that plan was perfectly hitting its mark.
The grudge Jin held against the evil god was so deep and immense that even Jin himself couldn't fathom it.
That grudge was making the eternal flame burn more fiercely.
Even now, the grudge continued to grow, making it impossible to stop the spread of the countless eternal flames.
Moreover, just now, the horrific annihilation of the young Rosa had further enraged Jin.
[Krgh!]
[Kihiing...!]
Every time the screams of the black panthers could be heard, chunks of the ground melted away.
As soon as the party reached the underground third floor, they found themselves isolated with the surroundings already melted away. They could also see a few panthers falling to the next floor one by one.
The panthers were burning by the eternal flame, melting the lower floors.
'If we keep falling like this, is the evil god at the very bottom?'
There was no choice.
Jin couldn't stop the rapidly increasing number of the fire, and they couldn't go back up. The party had no other option but to continue throwing themselves downward as they just did.
Jin briefly explained to his companions about the fact that the eternal flame was not under control and the reasons behind it.
"...I wasn't using the eternal flame. For now, it seems we can only hold onto each other and descend. I've been thoroughly defeated."
"Don't blame yourself. It was unavoidable. And in my opinion, even if you hadn't used the eternal flame, those panthers would have endlessly pressured us in some way. Perhaps the evil god prepared them to continue regenerating until you used the eternal flame." Hedo spoke.
[Truly, I have witnessed an extraordinary sword. If you were in my era, the protection of the holy kingdom would have been much easier. But, 12th flagbearer, something feels strange about the plot of the evil god.]
"What do you mean?"
[The evil god's chaos is not infinite. I know for sure since I was trapped within her. How much chaos do you think it would take to create just one black leopard? I don't know for certain, but it must require a considerable amount. And she's burning hundreds, thousands of them.]
Jin's control over the Eternal Flame was limited, just as the evil god's chaos was limited.
[That's why I suspect the evil god is using the Eternal Flame to not only trap us but also to test herself... to see if she can handle the ever-growing power of the Eternal Flame.]
"Why would the evil god go to such lengths...?"
At Octavia's question, Hedo shook his head.
"Considering the evil god's obsession with Jin, it seems likely, Spectre Captain. Perhaps it's not even a test for himself but simply a desire to observe Jin's sword."
"I... think the same way."
"Everyone, hold on tight. The ground is completely collapsing."
By that time, the entire underground third floor had completely melted away.
The black panthers were no longer visible, having already fallen to the lower floors.
Jin began to feel fear, slowly but intensely.
Of course, he was not afraid of fighting the evil god.
'What if this Eternal Flame continues to spread... and causes harm to our allies?'
The people currently with him were not a problem.
They were a small group, and each one was an exceptional martial artist.
But if the Eternal Flame continued to spread and started attacking friendly forces somewhere else, it would be an entirely different story.
'Bale said that not even Orgal could control the Eternal Flame as he wished. If the Eternal Flame starts striking our allies at this rate, the catastrophic damage would be unavoidable.'
That thought troubled Jin throughout the descent.
Even though he had expected such a possibility, it felt like a thorn was lodged in his throat.
It wasn't easy to shake off the feeling that the evil god was playing with them in the palm of its hand.
Certainly.
This battle was different from any other. After regression, Jin had defeated countless enemies and none had shaken him to this extent.
The descent didn't end quickly as it had just begun.
It seemed that the black panthers were melting the ground faster than the party was descending.
It was clear that they were continually moving downward.
As the descent lengthened, the sensation of the aura and mana interference became stronger for the party.
Since most of them had suffered injuries, the perception was even more heightened.
Eventually, Octavia lost consciousness first. Hedo and Alpen were noticeably short of breath, and even Bianca, who had suffered the least damage, occasionally took long sighs to catch her breath.
Meanwhile, the superhumans never let go of each other's hands.
Jin kept thinking.
How could he protect his companions?
Among the allies were most of the people he cherished more than anything else.
Perhaps the labyrinth of the evil god castle had already relocated the eternal flame to where his companions were.
Every time he imagined them being consumed by the eternal flame, a shiver ran down his spine.
As if someone was directly depicting that scene in his mind and injecting it into his thoughts, he couldn't stop envisioning it.
'Can I protect them all? Can we all return without casualties? We're already so helplessly trapped in the trap before even engaging in direct combat with the evil god.'
Bad thoughts tend to intensify over time.
The more difficult the situation, the more fearsome it becomes.
[12th Flagbearer... What are you doing?]
Suddenly, Alpen spoke up. He had been drifting in and out of consciousness.
"Sir Alpen, are you alright?"
[Hold my hand tighter. I don't have enough strength.]
Alpen's words provided Jin with an answer.
'I am not the only one who can protect them.'
We protect each other.
Jin had already realized this during the battle in his inner world. He had momentarily forgotten due to the urgency of the situation.
"I'm grateful that someone like you, Ancestor, is still here."
Once again, his mind cleared instantly.
With each moment his disoriented mind settled, Jin felt like he was taking a step away from the evil god's intentions.
'The allied forces have Valeria.'
She might use her record magic to detect the threat of eternal flame before anyone else.
Similarly, Veradin, who recently learned similar record magic, could do the same, and beings like Orgal and Bale could minimize the damage to the allies.
Dante could unleash his invisible sword style to restrain the approaching eternal flame, Cuiczntelle could exert its authority to buy some time, and Syris' Myriad Ice could seal the eternal flame.
Even if nothing could stop the eternal flame altogether.
In any case, the allies, and companions, would do their best to escape from the eternal flame.
Not just to survive, but to avoid hurting Jin. To prevent him from falling into the sorrow of killing them.
They would flee with that determination. It was a fight they could not win without trusting each other, without believing in themselves.
Even if it meant that from tomorrow onwards, they would be in an adversarial relationship where one side had to be destroyed, today he had to fight sincerely alongside them.
That was the part Jin lacked the most.
Until the decisive battle, Jin had clashed with them over the future war with the evil god.
Starting tomorrow, even if it became an enmity where one side had to perish, today they had to fight wholeheartedly together.
Gradually, Jin's expression, distorted by an inner pain he didn't even realize, returned to normal.
The descent had come to an end.
As Jin landed on the ground, creating a gust with his sword, the first thing that came into his sight was the hazy, engulfed land.
Black panthers were burning everywhere. They were far fewer in number than what Jin had seen on the underground 3rd floor.
It was unclear whether the rest had turned into ashes due to the eternal flame or if they had fallen into another space in the labyrinth.
The ground no longer melted away. It meant that the group had finally reached the central part of the Evil God's Castle, the lowest floor.
'...Is this the center of the lowest floor? The flames grow larger as we go in that direction.'
Jin looked towards where the eternal flame was expanding.
Hedo carried Octavia and the former patriarch, while Bianca carried Alpen.
As Jin started walking, the eternal flame split in two and formed a path.
The fires seemed to speak to him, indicating the direction.
Jin walked through his own flames.
No matter how far he walked, the flames grew fiercer, indicating the vast extent of the eternal flame.
Faint aura, mana, and the golden power could be sensed from afar.
His companions had fallen to the lowest floor a little earlier than Jin.
However, Jin didn't become impatient. It didn't seem like his companions had been killed by the eternal flame.
Nevertheless, he quickened his pace. The flames flickered wildly, clearing a path like a gust of wind, and soon Jin came face to face with the allied fleet surrounded by the eternal flame.
A colossal eternal flame was sweeping the allies like a tidal wave.
Amidst the flames, there was a palpable chaos, but as Jin approached, the chaos receded towards the opposite side of the blue wall of flames.
Jin instinctively knew that the evil god was there, behind the retreating chaos, within the barrier of flames.
Finally, when Jin unleashed his own flames, pushing back the eternal flame, his struggling companions came into view.
They had been fiercely resisting the eternal flame from within.
Seeing the flames open, some of them immediately assumed an attacking stance, thinking it was an intrusion of chaos, but upon confirming it was Jin, they let out a sigh of relief.
There were also those who collapsed, as if all their strength had drained out.
[Jin Runcandel, is it you?]
It was Orgal's voice.
He was barely maintaining a shattered shield, completely exhausted. He had no spare energy to look at Jin.
If Jin had been a little slower, if he had regained his composure a little later...
The vortex of eternal flame that had trapped his companions would have killed them all like ants in a fist.
"Yes, it's the 12th flagbearer, Jin Runcandel. I will join you again from now on."
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