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The world was engulfed in darkness.
At least those in the Storm Castle couldn't help but feel that way. Every visible space was turning pitch black, as if it had been painted with ink.
And the people were also submerged in that darkness. The sight of the knights who had spread throughout the castle and mountains was fading away.
"Ahhh...!"
"Huh."
Swoosh...!
The knights affected by the Manifestation of Shadows screamed for a moment and then fell silent. They were consumed by the darkness, which had exploded upon them.
Their blood, flesh, and bones were scattered somewhere in the dark void, leaving no trace behind in an instant. Only those who resisted even a little left a final scream, but most of them didn't even realize their own death.
It took three seconds.
That was the time it took for all the elites and guardian knights on the battlefield to face death. Now, only Jin and Murakan, along with the Ten Great Knights, remained.
'So many knights... all of them.'
Jin felt his bones turning cold and struggled to keep his sanity intact. An invisible awl seemed to be stabbing at his mind and body. Murakan and the Ten Great Knights were experiencing the same agony.
The power of existence.
The reason why the remaining group didn't perish immediately due to the Manifestation of Shadows was because of their power of existence. This power allowed them to resist the "predetermined death."
However, Frey seemed like she couldn't hold on for much longer. Jin noticed that every time she blinked, her consciousness would fade and return repeatedly.
"Frey, snap out of it!"
"If we kill that guy, we can start healing you immediately. Just hold on a little longer...!"
The real Frey Runcandel had already died a thousand years ago, and the dying Frey now was nothing more than a painting.
Jin felt an overwhelming anger that was hard to suppress. The Ten Great Knights present here had become guardians to protect Tamar's tomb, even after death.
[Today, this world will disappear.]
Boom...!
Amidst the crumbling of the entire Storm Castle, the voice of the fake sounded distinct.
[Murakan, and Jin Runcandel, you will not be able to escape this world.]
The fake's location was unknown. He hovered through the darkness, observing the suffering Jin's group and the fallen knights.
Even though the name 'Jin Runcandel' was mentioned, the Ten Great Knights had no time to question it.
[It seems the form of the Shadow Sword has changed. Are you trying to tear through the subspace and escape? You should have made that choice before this happened. Now it's impossible. You shouldn't have come here. Today, the two of you will gain nothing and won't be able to leave here alive.]
The fake said while inspecting Bradamante.
"I won't leave until I kill you, fake. Perhaps you are just a minion of Lokia or Helluram."
[Does that matter? To me, what matters is the fact that the Black Dragon Murakan, whom you believe in so much, was nothing more than a vile traitor, a mass murderer.]
Murakan was still struggling to push away the returning memories. The days he couldn't forgive himself for, the memories he desperately tried to forget, were far more painful than the physical torment.
Black tears flowed continuously from Murakan's eyes. He screamed into the darkness, thrashed his body, and cried out in agony.
Jin decided to leave Murakan alone for a moment. Right now, it seemed like hitting him wouldn't bring him back to his senses.
'Suffer to your heart's content, this time I'll protect you. Once I get rid of that guy, we'll face it together. The truth from a thousand years ago, whatever it may be, no matter how harsh, cruel, or repulsive.'
In the end, it was something Murakan had to bear on his own. He couldn't move forward without facing his past.
"If you really have done wrong, then you can atone for it. Just like you've always done until now. After all this is over, let's think about what to do next."
Jin took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
"But if you haven't done anything wrong, you don't have to suffer so much. Either way, me, Gilly, and the others won't leave you. We'll be with you when you atone, and we'll suffer with you even if you're just tormented. So please wait a little longer. I'll kill that bastard and come back."
Puhaha...!
Suddenly, a deep gash appeared in Jin's chest, and blood gushed out. The Manifestation of Shadows was breaking down Jin's existence.
[It's pathetic. Do you really think Murakan can atone for what he has done? The dead won't come back no matter what he does…]
Jin didn't respond.
Before he directly faced the truth from a thousand years ago, he couldn't believe anything the fake said. He simply prepared his sword quietly.
Preparing to cut him down.
'Even if the fake is not a true Genesis Knight, his visible combat power is undoubtedly of a Genesis Knight. There's no hope of defeating him with firepower alone. The best way is to fight based on the distinction between the real and fake.'
When Jin opened his eyes again, the darkness created by the fake began to vibrate. The fake continued to distort Jin's and the Ten Great Knights' existence. Despite their bodies being torn apart and exploding, none of them let go of their swords.
"Similarly, we'll assist you this time. Vamel... No, Jin Runcandel, I should call you that. The two of us will find his hiding place and tear it apart."
"It will only be for a moment. If we're lucky, maybe twice."
"Once is enough, Ancestors."
Dranax and Vyollo thrust their swords left and right as soon as they heard that. The two shining swords were cutting through the darkness.
They were nameless magic sword techniques.
Both of them instinctively emitted their vitality to cut through the darkness of the Manifestation of Shadows. Just like how Jin had suddenly awakened Eternal Flame during his battle with Bale, they were also awakening the peak of their Magic Sword Techniques.
Silently, the darkness was torn apart. Every time it happened, the scene outside the Manifestation of Shadows was revealed – a ruined Storm Castle filled with a river of blood and debris.
Desolate grounds, shattered clan banners, the relentless storm still raging, and the pitch-black sky...
Everything they had sought to protect.
However, the vain darkness was filling up again, yet their swords were gradually approaching the fake's true form.
And finally, both magic swords simultaneously stripped away the darkness concealing the fake.
The fake's exhaled breath engulfed the two of them. Dranax lost part of his right shoulder and upper body, while Vyollo lost both arms when he was pushed back by the fake's breath.
It was because the magic sword's unique characteristics exhausted them. Jin saw them as they were fading away, extending his sword forward.
Shadow Sword Ultimate Technique 1st form, First Night.
The fake felt all his senses being blocked for a moment. All the life flowing within the Manifestation of Shadows stopped, and before him came a blade even darker than his own darkness.
Swish-!
The blade slashed across the fake's chest. However, it didn't reach his heart, and he struck Jin with his wings.
Yet, Jin pierced through the wings and thrust his sword into the fake's heart once more. At that moment, the fake briefly lost consciousness due to the influence and pain of the First Night, but it didn't go further than that.
His heart wasn't pierced. The blade had only gone an inch deep. It was a threatening strike, but it couldn't kill the fake.
Shadow Sword Ultimate Technique 2nd Form, Second Night.
As expected, Jin continued with the second form of ultimate technique of the Shadow Sword. The energy unfolded for the First Night converged into Bradamante in an instant, and the Sword Blade transformed into a giant black whirlpool in the shape of an inverted cone.
The Second Night was a sword that maximized the power of the shadow force itself. With each swing of the sword, the whirlpool swept through the darkness, making it impossible for the fake to escape.
However, Jin knew that he couldn't win through sheer firepower. The Second Night was currently the most powerful sword he could create with his shadow force, but it couldn't surpass the fake's power. As a result, the fake was once again pressuring Jin.
In the darkness, Dranax and Vyollo, who had fallen, were searching for Frey.
And Frey, despite her faltering steps, was searching for something. With unsteady footsteps, she was heading towards a spot that was revealed when her companions cut through the darkness just moments ago.
She knew that there was a sword that must not be given to the fake. Even though everything looked the same in the darkness, she found that spot with just one look. Even though her consciousness was hazy, she knew the sword was there.
An unbreakable sense of duty was blessing Frey.
"Dranax... Vyollo... Open this place."
Vyollo handed the last special technique to Dranax, and he, in turn, unfolded the nameless sword. Like a flower that finally bloomed, Barisada was stuck in the rubble. Trembling, Frey carefully embraced Barisada, as if touching a child.
In that moment, the fake confirmed the presence of Barisada and instantly moved toward Frey through the darkness.
Instinctively, Murakan blocked the fake's breath in front of the Ten Great Knights. The fake's breath hit Murakan instead of the Ten Great Knights, and Jin did not miss the opportunity to strike the fake's heart again.
The swirling vortex formed by the Second Form on the sword's blade twisted the heart. The impact of the collision between the heart and the shadow tore and twisted Jin's hand.
Then, Jin simply released the grip on the sword. Bradamante was thrown back into the darkness.
The original plan was to forcefully thrust the sword into the fake's chest without missing the sword.
If he took the risk just once and thrust his sword deep into the fake's chest, it would be the end.
In the end, he believed that if he found his own distance, the real and fake would inevitably be revealed.
However, now Frey was throwing Barisada towards him. Jin caught Barisada as he charged forward.
At that moment, Jin finally realized that he had reached the distance he wanted. He was at the exact distance from which he could strike the fake's heart without missing a beat.
Unaware of this fact, the fake started to amplify the energy of the Manifestation of Shadows again. Jin felt the excruciating pain in every bone of his body, but he could execute any of the chosen swords to kill him.
It would be the same even if there was a greater pain than this. Jin could wield his sword in any circumstances. That was the achievement of the human named Jin Runcandel.
"It's over, fake."
Runcandel's Ultimate Technique
Reincarnation
Barisada was waking up from Jin's hands.
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