Episode 1025
Chapter 247: The Laprarosa Liberation War (13)
The fusion of the two warriors had been undone.
However, what Rokia couldn’t damage was not some special martial art, but the inner unity of the overlords—an unbroken bond that didn’t require any extraordinary technique to maintain.
So Jin had to unfold the final chapter of the Overlord’s Reign Sword without Ban’s senses, but it didn’t matter. The path was already crystal clear.
When Ban wielded the Overlord’s Reign Sword, the way to manifest his will—though not yet as perfect as a true fusion warrior—was something Jin could now realize just like her.
Overlord Sword Fusion Technique, Tenth Sword: Overlord’s Reign Sword – Conclusion.
Clack…!
Suddenly, a soft resonance, like stepping on water, pushed back the deafening roar of the battlefield. The fierce golden thunderbirds that had been rampaging now circled calmly around Jin, flowing like a gentle river.
As they circled, they swallowed the enemy’s attacks whole. Like an erased shadow, the space where the enemy’s strikes existed was absorbed into the Overlord’s Reign Sword and vanished.
The battlefield reflected on the transparent golden river. The distorted forms of the enemy and the airborne fortresses, even the chaotic dimensional gates piercing the sky—all were rendered transparent within this realm.
Neither the enemy nor the chaotic energy could harm this golden world, nor taint even a single drop of its thunderous aura.
[With your pitiful power and authority, who do you think you can kill?]
The sword’s thunderous aura gradually turned pure white. Like water becoming clearer as it flows, it shimmered in a brilliant, snowy glow.
The roaring noise began to fade.
It wasn’t because Rokia or her summoned enemies had stopped moving. In fact, Rokia was releasing her chaotic energy more fiercely than ever since the battle began. The airborne fortresses were relentlessly firing their enemy brainwaves and chaotic energy, their main cannons roaring nonstop.
Yet all that noise was sinking into the white light. Not only the ear-splitting explosions but even the faintest sound of scattered grains of sand was swallowed by the light, leaving a profound silence.
“I… can’t breathe.”
Rokia’s true form existed in a different dimension from the mortal realm. She was confronting Jin through her spiritual body.
Still, it felt as if her breath was being choked, as if she were drowning.
It was as if the ‘world of Rokia’—which should have remained safe no matter how the battle in the Great Desert unfolded—was suddenly exposed right in the heart of the battlefield. It shouldn’t have been possible, yet it felt that way.
Unconsciously, Rokia touched her neck and chest several times. The image of Sigmund’s blade passing through her filled her vision like a vivid reality.
“But I’ve died too many times to fear death now. Breaking this sword is beyond me… but cursing your fusion? That I can do.”
Time began to slow down. As if something was blocking it like a physical object, the flow of time on the battlefield started to drag.
Within this slowed time, only Jin, Murakan, and Rokia could move at their normal speed. The overlords and airborne fortresses adjusted to the slower pace.
But for Rokia, it was overwhelming. She was forcing herself against the power of the Overlord’s Reign Sword, desperately trying to curse Laprarosa, to kill Ban.
If she succeeded, she could salvage part of her ruined plan. Above all, she had now confirmed that even without Ban, Jin could fully take over that role.
To slay the witch.
“Just as I cannot stop your sword from shattering my spiritual bodies and weapons, you cannot stop my curse from engulfing Laprarosa. Neither of us is an omnipotent being like the Sun God or the Witch.”
Drip…!
Suddenly, a viscous black liquid began to flow from the center of Laprarosa’s dimensional gate.
The chaotic energy that had existed inside the gate since it first opened in the Great Desert was transforming into a curse—the “Witch’s Pool.”
Even Jin couldn’t block it in advance. This was a curse that had effectively originated from within Laprarosa itself.
Jin laughed again.
[A curse, huh… It must be some special kind I don’t know about. You’ve clearly lost touch with reality. You’re the first to try threatening the Ban brothers with a curse.]
Rokia couldn’t respond to Jin’s mocking voice. With every passing second, her spiritual bodies were being drawn into the sword’s thunderous aura and disappearing.
Jin saw right through Rokia’s intentions.
[Sure, maybe the other brothers could be in danger, but the only reason I couldn’t block your curse earlier was that it started outside the sword’s range.]
The reason Jin failed to stop Rokia’s curse was simply that it originated inside Laprarosa itself. If it had manifested in the same dimension and space, he could have stopped it easily.
[Rest assured, the fusion brothers can’t be killed by a curse like this. This isn’t the era when curses or history alone can easily bring down an opponent like a thousand years ago.]
Of course, Rokia had assumed Ban would block the curse through the Overlord’s Reign Sword or some special power, but she was certain Ban would suffer death or at least severe damage in the process.
Ban had endured long, grueling battles. Until just a few days ago, he had to withstand daily joint attacks from the enemy and the Zipl. And today, he had already shared much of his strength with Jin through the fusion.
Even the strongest fusion warrior of the Overlord race had limits. Yet Jin’s faith in Ban was firmer than ever.
[There was no need to crush time on the battlefield with the Overlord’s Reign Sword. Your time stopped a thousand years ago anyway. You have no moves left.]
The decision was made.
Jin had nothing left to hold back. Now, all that remained was to drive Rokia away and destroy all the enemy and airborne fortresses.
Then, the Laprarosa Liberation War would finally end. The hopes of Jin and his brothers would at last become reality.
In two dimensions—Laprarosa and the mortal realm—the fusion warriors and their successors simultaneously wielded the Overlord’s Reign Sword.
Jin and Ban envisioned each other’s forms. Though standing in different spaces, they danced the sword dance together.
[Runtia, and Veil. Join the defense of the Laprarosa passage.]
Veil called in reinforcements on Jin’s orders, and they were just entering the battlefield. Veil said nothing as she watched Rokia’s spiritual bodies dissolve into the Overlord’s Reign Sword.
Instead, she was captivated by the final chapter of the sword. Compared to the “Conclusion” Ban himself used in the Phantom God War, it felt somewhat lacking, but that only made it more beautiful.
[Understood.]
“Got it.”
[Pay close attention to the flow of my sword and its thunderous aura. The aftershocks of Ban’s Overlord’s Reign Sword will surely pour through the cracks. Those aftershocks will resemble my sword in many ways, so you can use that to help block them.]
“So you won’t get in the way of the youngest dealing with that?”
[No, even without you and Veil, Ban’s sword won’t interfere with me. I just want you to protect Luna.]
“Huh? Luna?”
[More precisely, it’s Luna’s duel. Today is not only the day I liberate the brothers of Laprarosa, but also Luna’s last chance.]
As a disciple of Eltiot, this was Luna’s final opportunity to face Simat.
Luna had been aware of Simat even before arriving in the Great Desert. If the youngest cut him down before she arrived, she would never get the chance to settle things with him as Eltiot’s disciple.
“Ah, I see. That’s important for you.”
“Wow, our youngest is so calm even in this situation. Are you really going to hand Simat over to me?”
[He lost all his airborne fortresses but awakened while fighting me. In some ways, he’s stronger now than when you brought Eltiot and the enemy’s parts.]
“I needed a strong opponent anyway. He has debts to repay, too. Heh, we’ll finally get a proper one-on-one fight. I was worried that chance might never come. But of course, the safety of the family and alliance comes first.”
[I didn’t foresee this from the start. The situation just unfolded this way. Once Runtia destroys all the airborne fortresses, he’ll be able to fight you with a clear mind.]
Jin spoke calmly, as if no enemy stood before him.
Because Rokia was no longer a threat. Jin had read all her moves, neutralized every key element she planned to use in this battle, and even found clues to her pocket dimension.
Now, Rokia’s spiritual bodies and her summoned enemies couldn’t withstand the final chapter of the Overlord’s Reign Sword. Not once had the enemy’s main cannon struck Laprarosa.
The only effective move had been the curse, which Ban’s sword was now blocking.
Luna, Runtia, and Veil departed for their respective positions.
[Hiding somewhere, sending clones, and thinking you can safely control everything like that… I felt this was pitifully familiar. Now I get it. It’s exactly what Joshua did in the past. He always acted like no one loved Runkandel more than him.]
Jin aimed Sigmund at the massive enemy ship looming heavily overhead.
Then, slowly drawing the blade downward, the enormous vessel tilted and began to descend in response.
Zzzt, shaaaahhh…!
As the lower part of the Kree touched the ground, a frothy white foam erupted in the River of Brainwaves. It was as if an island were sinking beneath the surface. Even the Kree’s signature invisibility couldn’t shield it from the resolute storm of neural waves. It simply crumbled away, like a chunk of ice melting under the blazing sun.
“Soon, I will find your true form and all your followers, and put an end to your dark existence, Lokia Ganesto. From this day forward, my comrades and brothers and I will wipe out every last one of your kind—those who can’t stand to leave a perfectly good world spinning as it is.”