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In his past life, and in his current life too.
The sword Jin had chosen was Barisada. Although he had never physically touched Barisada since the selection ceremony, Jin felt as if the sword had always been with him, as it perfectly fit in his hand.
Even though it was a kind of replica made in a painting, the Barisada was no different from the real one.
And the black sword acknowledged Jin. It recognized that Jin had the qualification to become its master, to be able to eliminate enemies.
'Suddenly, I remember the day I finished my training as reserve flagbearer.'
Chiron had demonstrated a variation of the ultimate technique, Reincarnation, when Jin returned to the clan to become a flagbearer.
An extremely slow sword.
But unavoidable.
[Barisada...!]
The fake opened his both eyes wide and focused the Manifestation of Shadows on Jin. The power of death that was being applied to the Ten Great Knights and Murakan was all directed at Jin.
However, no matter how much pain it gave, it couldn't stop Jin.
He couldn't be disturbed or even slightly hindered. Just as the fake desired Jin's death through the Manifestation of Shadows, Jin desired to cut down the fake Murakan with his sword.
There was no need to determine which side had a deeper and stronger fighting spirit. The death of Jin that the fake had desired quickly faded away, and Jin's sword became clearer and clearer.
'Why can't I able to avoid it...!'
The fake couldn't understand Jin's sword approaching step by step. It was as if its body was bound by chains and couldn't move as it wished.
"I said it's the end, fake. So there's no need to try to understand."
Jin knew his feelings very well. Only those who transcended their limits without anyone's help could ignite their fighting spirit even when facing the Reincarnation.
It was something that didn't apply to the fake. It was just a mere illusion and couldn't stand against the Reincarnation.
Jin slowly approached the fake step by step.
Before reaching it, his swinging sword already cut through the shadow force formed by the Manifestation of Shadows. The white-shining Barisada was opening a path.
The white blade unfolded endlessly in a circular shape, erasing the Manifestation of Shadows. It was slow, but the fake couldn't avoid it either.
If there had been a little more distance, if the fake had shaken off its self-conceit of being 'invincible' and faced reality...
It would have had a chance to struggle and hide its body within the Manifestation of Shadows again. Even if the power it possessed wasn't gained through its own will, it undoubtedly had the strength equal to the Genesis Knight.
"Before it came to this, you should've run away."
Jin said what the fake had said and swung his sword a second time.
The blade came down, slicing through the fake's chest. It fiercely protected its heart, but the shadow force formed like armor, scales, bones, and flesh, everything was effortlessly cut away.
The blackened heart of the fake Murakan was revealed. It already appeared broken and corroded in various places.
[No... This cannot be. I am Murakan. The Murakan from a thousand years ago. The existence that all things feared so much! I cannot be defeated by the likes of you who is not even a Genesis Knight…]
"You are revealing your true colors. If it had been him instead of you, he would've easily dealt with this attack. It would have been a true Genesis Knight's power, that's for sure."
[Don't kill me!]
The fake was giving its final struggle, using everything it had to strengthen the Manifestation of Shadows that sustained its heart. The extinguished darkness was refilling, and the Barisada seemed to lose its light.
From the two pairs of wings that spread out with a roar, an unending stream of black chains poured forth, and the swirling shadow force seemed as if it would devour and tear Jin apart any moment.
"Useless."
But Jin shattered it all with just the third swing, a single downward cut. The threatening black chains were absorbed by the blade of the Barisada, dispersing into white particles, and the darkness was cleaved into an even larger mass than when Jin first executed Reincarnation.
The fake still couldn't distance itself from the approaching Barisada, having to face the blade headed for its heart.
[Stop... What benefit would you gain by killing me? You will face a dirty and dreadful truth. Your guardian dragon might go insane again and become just like me! If you stop now, I'll tell you who sent me here.]
"I was tempted for a moment, you bastard. But what to do now? I promise him that I'll kill you and come back to him."
[This painting, this world, has been corrupted by pollution! I am its core. If you kill me, the entire world may collapse... If I die, you might be trapped here forever. Anything can happen in this corrupted world.]
In the end, the fake was just a fake.
No matter how much it resembled Murakan, there was an insurmountable gap between it and the real Murakan of that era. From the beginning, the true power of Genesis Knight was something that couldn't be artificially created. No god could just make a being with the power of Genesis knight at will.
"I'll figure it out on my own. I'll find the one who created you and make sure they pay. It is disgusting to listen to you, so disappear now."
Crack-!
The fourth sword strike, a straight and slow thrust, pierced through the fake's heart. As soon as Jin pierced its heart, the dark landscape of the Manifestation of Shadows was erased all at once.
The fake trembled all over, flapping its wings.
[Grrr... Ugh... I'll regret this, Jin... Runcandel! You shouldn't have come here.]
As the fake said, it wasn't just the Manifestation of Shadows that was affected by the destruction of its heart. The crumbling scenery of the storm castle, the sudden raging storm, and the bright moonlight flowing in the sky, all things vibrated unstably.
Jin didn't hesitate and twisted the sword to completely destroy the fake's heart. Pieces of the heart scattered in all directions, disappearing without a trace.
Now, there was no trace of the fake's presence. It was a futile death, as if proving that it was nothing more than a fake.
Jin released Reincarnation. He coughed up a bit of blood but didn't sustain any fatal injuries.
'It seems that the fake is truly the core of this world. The entire subspace is vibrating, as if it could collapse at any moment.'
Jin wasn't anxious. Whether he escaped by tearing through the subspace with the Shadow Sword or simply endured and found a way, there must be a solution. If he had been worried about such things from the beginning, Jin wouldn't have come here.
However, at first, he thought it would be fine since he was with Murakan. But as Jin looked back, he saw Murakan still suffering.
In fact, Murakan seemed to be in a worse state than before the fake disappeared.
'It seems that the fake's contamination was removed... and now Murakan's suppressed memories are flooding back?'
Jin returned to Murakan and the Ten Great Knights. Murakan's black tears formed a small puddle.
Dranax and Vyollo were comforting Frey while trying to keep her conscious. The fake had disappeared, and the power of the Manifestation of Shadows was gone, but there was no way Frey could survive. Even before being struck by the Manifestation of Shadows, she had already suffered a fatal wound.
As Jin looked at the situation, he couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow.
"Jin... Runcandel..."
Frey looked up at Jin.
"Yes, Ancestor. Vamel is an alias, and that is my real name. I had no choice but to deceive you to not cause confusion."
"Something felt strange from the beginning... but I wanted to trust you. Now, I realize that even if we refused, you would have helped us."
"Frey, don't say that. Focus on staying conscious and breathing. We'll take you to the healers soon..."
"Dranax... Vyollo. We are probably beings similar to the fake Murakan. The only difference is that the fake was here to cause damage, while we were here to protect. Don't you all feel it? Friends..."
Frey was vaguely recognizing the truth of the world they lived in. As the world began to collapse, information that the original beings in the painting shouldn't know flowed into their minds. Dranax and Vyollo didn't answer and kept their eyes tightly closed.
The Ten Great Knights also realized that their other comrades hadn't returned from external missions, and there were no reinforcements coming despite the fake causing such havoc.
They were coming to the realization that this place was a recreation of a part of the world from a thousand years ago.
"But, Jin Runcandel. Unlike us, you and Murakan... The foolish Black Dragon who we thought had betrayed us. You two must be real beings living in reality... After experiencing you, I have the confidence that the land we fought to protect... still belongs to us, even after a thousand years have passed."
"Damn it, why does that damn Black Dragon keep doing this? Hey! Frey, me, and Vyollo, we'll disappear soon. Come to your senses and at least say goodbye. We died a thousand years ago, so we'll never meet again, you bastard!"
"That's right, Murakan. I don't know about me, but you can't send Frey off like this. Come and listen to the confession that she couldn't make before."
"No... Vyollo... Why are you suddenly talking nonsense in this situation..."
As soon as Frey got angry, Murakan turned into a human and approached Jin and the Ten Great Knights with a bewildered expression.
He fell to the ground, repeatedly muttering the same words.
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry, everyone. I... I killed you all. The knights of the clan, the people... It was all my fault..."
Yes, Murakan.
Everything is your fault.
At that moment, everyone heard a low, dark voice.
The voice was one that Jin, Murakan, and the Ten Great Knights had all heard before. Jin had heard it from the recording devices left by Solderet, while the rest had heard it directly through their interactions with him.
It was Temar Runcandel.
You mercilessly killed the comrades who once trusted you... and now, are you even trying to get rid of me? Is that Solderet's and your decision? Is it for the sake of the thousand-year contractor?
As Temar's words continued, the scenery was changing, becoming clearer. The truth from a thousand years ago, recorded by Kaytam before the corruption of the painting, was being revealed.
Murakan's face turned pale as he looked around, his head was in turmoil.
Temar's gaze from a thousand years ago was fixated on him and Murakan couldn't meet those resentful eyes directly.
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