Chapter 298
Episode 91: Power, and the Worship of Power (9)
“Lead him to a natural death during the fight with Ziphl.”
This situation was clearly different from the orders Rosa had given. It wasn’t the ideal outcome Jin had envisioned either.
But considering the wildcard that was Veradin, it was as close to the best possible scenario as could be hoped for.
“Courtesy, huh…”
Barton let out a bitter chuckle.
The Paladins spread out, surrounding Barton. The sharp scrape of blades sliding from their sheaths filled the air, and a deadly gleam sparked in Dipus’s eyes.
“Ever since I was stationed in Runcandel, I never once expected such things. What a dull story you tell, Knight Twelve.”
Rigaf Kleber.
Jin suddenly recalled Barton Vichena’s real name.
A tragic Black Knight, drafted against his will, stripped of the right to decide his own fate, forced to watch as his blood relatives and kin were slaughtered.
That was the man Jin thought Barton Vichena to be.
So it made sense that Barton would sneer at the idea of ‘courtesy.’
Yet there was something strange.
“For some reason… I don’t sense any hatred or anger from Barton.”
Runcandel had stolen Barton’s life and murdered his kin, and Kleber had used the entire family as hostages.
Wouldn’t the resentment and rage toward Runcandel be too deep, too dark, too vast to be easily seen?
Behind the helmet, Barton’s eyes shone with calmness.
“I’ve been struggling to endure your disgusting act since earlier, Barton Vichena. Wearing that black helmet, and yet you had nowhere else to turn but to become Ziphl’s spy!”
Whoosh!
Dipus’s greatsword came crashing down on the back of Barton’s head.
At the same time, Jin drew Sigmund and aimed for Barton’s neck.
The Paladins didn’t flinch. Their role was less about attacking and more about restricting Barton’s movements, maintaining the encirclement.
Clang!
With a speed too fast to see, Barton easily parried the two blades and moved with precise footwork.
Though injured, his achievement of the 10th Star rank remained undiminished.
Spinning his body, Barton closed the distance to Dipus.
Jin immediately extended his blade toward Barton’s back, but it only pierced the cloak.
“Is that a mistake, Dipus Runcandel?”
Despite the battle, Barton’s tone was almost mocking, as if asking if it was really a fault. Dipus felt a sharp pain in his temples.
“You traitor! You dare ask if it’s a mistake? How dare you speak such nonsense.”
“Dipus, that’s why you’ll never measure up to Joshua. Your fighting spirit is the strongest among the brothers, but your reasoning lacks depth.”
Their swords clashed briefly in a test of strength.
Barton was the first to step back—not because he lacked power, but to avoid the lightning strike Jin had just unleashed with the Meiwang Sword’s technique.
Barton nodded as he watched the spot where the thunderbolt had struck.
“Ah, so your fighting spirit can no longer be called the best. Sir Siron used to praise the fighting spirit of the Twelve Knights when they were cadets. Now, I ask again, Dipus. Is my betrayal truly wrong?”
Neither Jin nor Dipus answered, their faces expressionless.
But Jin was genuinely calm, while Dipus was forcing himself to maintain composure.
“Why can’t you answer, Dipus Runcandel? Do you truly believe I was wrong to become Ziphl’s spy?”
Barton’s voice was laced with deep disappointment.
It was a strange sight—the traitor was the one pressing Runcandel’s knight.
At that moment, Jin understood the feelings Barton held toward Runcandel.
A mixture of love and hate.
An emotion so clear it was almost obvious.
“You seem to be rambling nonsense just to die with some dignity. I won’t listen any longer.”
“Then, Knight Twelve, Jin Runcandel, you answer.”
Barton spun around and lunged his blade at Jin. Even though turning his back on Dipus was risky, he showed no hesitation.
He looked resigned to death.
He had used too much aura in the aerial battle with Kojek, and the wounds from the spatial explosion were severe.
If it were only Dipus and the Paladins, there might have been some hope, but with Jin here, Barton’s survival was impossible.
The only concern for Runcandel was how little damage they would take while beheading Barton.
“Sir Barton, why are you acting like a spoiled child?”
Barton faltered and met Jin’s gaze. In that brief opening, Dipus managed to land a strike, but it wasn’t fatal.
“Are you hoping for an apology? For Runcandel ruining your life?”
“What?”
Barton’s eyes flashed with fury as he summoned his energy.
“When exactly did Runcandel ruin my life?”
“Before coming here, I reviewed the documents about you. According to them, you were unwillingly made a Black Knight and lost your blood relatives and kin.”
Barton’s eyes trembled as if hearing the most absurd story.
Even Dipus seemed similarly unsett. Jin couldn’t help but feel he had misspoken.
“…Hahaha.”
Barton burst into a hollow laugh.
Dipus steadied himself, reinforcing his greatsword with fresh aura.
“Your mother must not have given you all the documents about Barton. The author was never robbed of his life by Runcandel. On the contrary, he was obsessed with becoming Runcandel’s Black Knight.”
Jin’s eyes widened.
“…Could it be that the reason Runcandel killed the Kleber kin who knew Barton’s true identity was because it was Barton’s own wish?”
“Exactly. The documents you saw were created so that knights below the 5th rank wouldn’t despise Barton when they worked with him later. That man abandoned his family and killed his own blood just to become a Black Knight.”
It felt like being hit on the back of the head with a hammer.
I can’t quite understand this. If it’s true, it’s disappointing.
Are you disappointed in the family?
No, not the family. My disappointment is with my father. The family can do such things. Families can do worse.
My father is certainly ruthless, but not a cowardly man, at least not in my experience. He’s not weak enough to control people through threats. So why? Why did Barton Vichena have to suffer like this?
This was a conversation Jin had with Gilly just before arriving in Ventica.
Part of him felt relieved—Siron hadn’t forced Barton into becoming a Black Knight through such a petty method.
Then disgust welled up inside him.
“For what reason?”
Crackle!
Lightning surged along the blade of Sigmund. While Barton faced Dipus, Jin had already summoned the power of the Radiant Heart and was ready to unleash the Meiwang Sword technique.
“For what reason did you go that far to become a Black Knight?”
There was no longer any reason to be polite.
No matter how devoted he had been to Runcandel before his betrayal, now he was nothing but a contemptible man obsessed with power.
The next word that escaped Barton’s lips was a single, chilling syllable.
“Power.”
“The ultimate power that controls the world. That is the only thing I worship. Blood, kin, family—those things mean nothing. Being born into the greatest family and gaining the strongest power—that alone gave my existence meaning.”
It had been a long time since Jin was left speechless by something so absurd.
“That’s why Siron’s Runcandel was nothing less than paradise to me…”
“You sound like you have a serious mental illness.”
“If I, who lack even a blessed body, didn’t have that kind of obsession, do you think I could have reached the 10th Star? No, it’s impossible. Long ago, I chose between humanity and power.”
Emotionally, Jin couldn’t accept a single word.
But rationally, he understood.
He had met people before who spoke and acted like this.
Kidad of the Reflux came to mind, overlapping with Barton.
Both were ruthless in their pursuit of strength, regardless of means or ends.
Both were villains, but if pure obsession was the measure, Barton was even more relentless.
“A pathetic life marked by betrayal.”
“So, like Dipus, will you say I’m wrong? Siron would never have reacted that way.”
“You’re right, Barton. My father would have said this.”
Yes, that’s your value. Then prove that value is right.
“Is that what you wanted to hear?”
Barton nodded with satisfaction. Though he had betrayed Runcandel, he still held infinite respect for the superhuman Siron Runcandel.
“Then prove it. Show me you’re right. If you want your father’s way, I like that too. Convince me, and I’ll spare you.”
Dipus didn’t object to Jin’s near-overstepping words.
After all, Barton could do nothing.
“Not possible right now. Today, I will meet death at your hands.”
“Then your choice is wrong.”
“When Sir Siron was in Runcandel, he believed death was failure—the absolute end of everything. But after meeting Sir Keliak, I realized something different. Death isn’t the end, true Runcandel. All I need is time.”
“Are you going to spout more nonsense? After abandoning so much, betraying so many, and gaining that ten-star power, your new masters can’t even save you right now?”
“Even if you kill me today, there are truths that will never change. First, if Sir Siron disappears, Runcandel is doomed to fall. And second, even if my body is destroyed, I will endure longer than any of you.”
The storm of lightning crackling around Sigmund was growing fiercer by the second.
“When that time comes, you’ll have no choice but to admit that Barton Vichena’s choice was right all along.”
Barton’s conviction was disturbingly unwavering.
Though he seemed to ramble, Barton was absolutely certain that Ziphl would bring about Runcandel’s destruction.
It was a faith so stubborn it bordered on unsettling. Was it madness born from obsession and worship of power? Or was it the hollow despair after an unexpected assassination attempt?
Either way, Jin shuddered at the thought that just minutes ago, he had felt a flicker of pity for Barton.
“Kid, that’s enough. I don’t think we need to listen to any more of your crazy talk. Let’s finish this.”
Dipus sent Kozek forward, wrapping the reserved aura around his greatsword as he spoke. Just as Jin had summoned his lightning to his core to unleash the Hell King’s Sword technique, Dipus was also ready to unleash his finishing move.