Chapter 1083
Episode 254: The Selves of the Sun God (7)
As a colossal blade erupted from the hull of the flagship Sara, the Golden Fleet’s advance began in earnest.
Despite being an airship, the flagship Sara moved with astonishing speed, plunging its blade into the central section of the Tower of Stories like a diving hawk.
A shockwave and deafening roar shattered the tower’s pristine white mineral structure, sending shards flying. The fragments that shot up between Jin and Keliak instantly disintegrated into particles under the intense heat.
The blade pressed forward relentlessly, and Keliak found himself unable to shake Jin off.
“Me… Keliak Ziphl… unable to overcome Jin Runkandel, not even a Shiron…!” he thought in disbelief.
All his life, he had lived in the shadow of Shiron Runkandel, forever the second-in-command. Though the Ziphl faction was undoubtedly the strongest force, Keliak himself had never truly been the strongest.
Despite all he had possessed, enjoyed, and ruled over as the head of Ziphl, he had always harbored a deep inferiority complex.
That inferiority, which only flared when facing Shiron, now reared its head before the young and vibrant Jin.
“Shut up, Jin Runkandel. Do you really think you can have everything once this fight ends? That the world will become peaceful? Nothing will change. Nothing! Only the Demon God Stone, only absolute control, can bring change. Not your meaningless struggles!”
A bead of blood spattered from Keliak’s forehead. The scar Bradamante had left there twisted like a mocking smile.
“Oh? Then prove it by defeating me and backing up your words. But you can’t. Just like you’ve never once beaten my father.”
A fierce blue flame spread as the blazing fire resonated with the flagship Sara. The tower’s central chamber had melted away—the ceiling and walls dissolved into gold, revealing the outside world. Blue flames flickered all around.
“Ugh…!”
Keliak groaned, shaking off the blue flames clinging to his shoulders and arms. The crimson flames unique to Shinu counteracted the blue, but the cancellation wasn’t fast enough.
He was being overwhelmed.
Jin, having ascended to the rank of Changseong, was now beyond even divine beings like Shinu, amplified by the flagship Sara.
“How pathetic, Keliak. After committing such horrific acts to become the One God, without the Demon God Stone, you’re nothing but a rotten corpse.”
“Gah!”
A soul slash followed a lightning-fast stab, the twin sword energies striking Keliak’s body. Though blocked by his hastily raised shield, the impact was severe, and he spat blood as his knees buckled.
Rolling on the ground to dodge the ensuing flurry, Keliak barely avoided having his head severed.
“This gap can’t be this wide… so why…!”
Keliak couldn’t understand.
Though he hadn’t reached Changseong like Jin, he had fused with Shinu and gained comparable power.
He had always believed that. When he conquered the Jinma Realm, when he returned to reclaim his position as head of the family, he had always overwhelmed his opponents with that power.
Suddenly, a crushing realization hit him—how much he had relied on the Demon God Stone all along. The feeling was both shocking and humiliating.
“Killing Keliak is no problem.”
Meanwhile, Jin pressed his advantage relentlessly, fully aware of the situation. This was no time to revel in the thrill of finally being able to take down the head of Ziphl.
“The real threat isn’t this rotten corpse, but Malugia. I need to understand what the Sun God’s self is thinking to have created this situation.”
Outside the Tower of Stories, Kragos, who was battling the Golden Fleet of the Ban and the Meongwang tribe, had awakened under Malugia’s will.
Empowered beyond his original strength by Malugia’s authority, he had even supported Keliak when Dante was attacked.
This meant Keliak was not the mastermind behind this entire scheme.
“According to our assumptions, Malugia is waiting for the right moment to bring about destruction across all dimensions. And to destroy other dimensions… first, he must summon them. Or open a path for them to come through.”
Swish!
After severing three of Keliak’s fingers, Jin dodged the resulting spatial explosion and casually glanced around.
Brigette, Nepdol, Kragos, Focal.
Suddenly, it struck him that four selves of the Sun God had gathered here. Assuming Malugia was hiding somewhere among them, that made five.
“If these five continue to emit such immense solar energy endlessly, could that alone affect other dimensions? And could Malugia use that influence to carry out some plan?”
The thought flashed through his mind.
Moreover, Silkia Arsia, who possessed dimensional travel abilities rivaling even the Sun God Focal, was also present.
Though just a hypothesis, it was better to be cautious.
“From now on, Lord Focal, please refrain from using solar energy as much as possible. Ban and his brothers alone can keep Kragos under pressure. I will soon finish off Keliak and join you. Brigette, Nepdol, and Silkia, please fall back from the front lines and stand by.”
When Jin shoved Keliak somewhere and communicated this, Focal immediately understood his intent through divine insight.
[Jin is right. Since Malugia has yet to reveal himself, we cannot predict what excessive solar energy use might trigger.]
From the alliance’s perspective, the best outcome was to end the battle quickly and leave the battlefield before any new variables or incidents arose.
Now, Keliak was barely holding his own against Jin, and over half of Ziphl’s remaining mages had already fallen.
Though the resurrected former heads of Ziphl from Kidad Hall and Hell fought valiantly, they had no impact on the overall battle.
“We must secure Lady Elona. No, we must capture her! Tighten the siege around Lagal. He must not escape!”
It was Veradin’s voice.
He couldn’t bring himself to say “save” Elona. Too many had lost family, friends, and love because of her power—too many in the alliance, too many in this world.
Still, insisting on capturing rather than killing her stemmed from a belief that both she and he must atone in some way until their lives end.
Meanwhile, he had no interest whatsoever in Keliak Ziphl, who was on the brink of death. There was nothing to forgive in Keliak’s case. He was a monster unworthy of redemption.
Veradin’s focus was solely on Elona Ziphl and the bio-golem Kun, created from his own self.
Only they deserved a chance at atonement. In fact, they deserved it more than himself. After all, he was the only one with decision-making authority over Ziphl at this point.
“Brother Kaio.”
“Yes, Brother Tushin.”
“Kill that Lagal and secure Elona Ziphl. It seems he’s been poisoning her body all along.”
Only Ban had noticed this. Jin, busy fighting Keliak and commanding overall, had missed it.
“Understood.”
“Brothers Linpa and Baltrok, go find Almatiya and Kun.”
“Yes, Brother!”
The two kings fighting alongside Kragos began withdrawing as ordered. Yet Kragos felt no relief, even as some of his warriors pulled back and Focal’s solar energy faded.
If anything, Ban’s blade seemed to be drawing closer. That was because Ban and Murakan had come to understand and analyze Kragos’s power.
And time was running out. Jin would soon finish off Keliak and join the fray, while Luna’s crimson sword was breaking through the solar energy to join them.
[Interesting, mortal who inherited my power. Brigette, Nepdol, even Beltian. Those fools must have been quite shocked when they first saw you. You weren’t supposed to be able to attack us…]
Clenching his sword, Kragos spoke. Unlike when he struck Dante earlier, there was no trace of ease or amusement on his face.
[But you will never be able to do that against Malugia, mortal Ban. She has nearly completed all preparations. Preparations for the end.]
“What nonsense are you spouting? You’d be better off working alongside Beltian for us. Just struggle a little more, but don’t die a disgraceful death like your other brothers.”
Murakan answered for him, exhaling sharply. Kragos brushed off the breath and unleashed solar energy, but it was no match for Ban’s newly begun Meongwang Gunlim Sword.
Just like the day the alliance first completed the Golden Fleet and struck the Tower of Stories.
The battlefield was split left and right, filled with the Golden Fleet and the enhanced Meongwang Gunlim Sword and blazing fire.
As the energies of Jin and Ban, the two Changseong, grew immense, the once turbulent golden sea seemed to calm. As if offering some solace to the lives unjustly turned to gold.
To Kragos, to Keliak.
Neither seemed capable of turning the tide. Especially Keliak, who now looked around with eyes full of utter despair.
He couldn’t pinpoint where Jin’s sword would strike from. He had been slammed into various spots throughout the middle of the Tower of Stories, eventually falling all the way down to its lower levels, gasping for breath in the pit-like darkness.
“Where are you… where will you come from?!”
Just as Keliak lifted his head, scattering crimson flames in all directions, he was met with a thunderous crash—a sword plummeting straight toward his head. The blade had already sliced clean through the middle of the Tower of Stories, heading straight for Keliak.
The sword’s edge severed Keliak’s right arm and shoulder—the ones gripping his staff—and unleashed a massive wave of cutting energy that tore through the tower’s lowest depths in a single, devastating strike.