Chapter 409
Episode 120: Why Hailan? (3)
Invisible blades of energy drifted around Ron and Berakt, emitting eerie, piercing sounds.
Berakt let out a sly grin.
“How arrogant.”
The blood trickling down his thigh was quickly stopping. It wasn’t that the wound was healing naturally, but rather a unique method of bodily control that only Berakt seemed to possess.
Jin felt a strange unease in Berakt’s smile.
No, more precisely, it was less unease and more a sense of impending danger.
‘Even with Sir Ron right beside me, this ominous feeling won’t fade.’
Berakt was the strongest warrior of the White Wolf tribe, someone Murakan had said even Luna couldn’t confidently predict upon first sight.
Despite having his thigh sliced by Ron’s intangible blade, Berakt showed no sign of surprise.
Instead, his eyes held a peculiar pride—as if he had faced even stronger foes before and had defeated them all.
‘The full power of the warship Grnil hasn’t even been revealed yet.’
So far, only the transparent shield and the storm clouds had been shown, but that was far from all.
A crisis had come to Hailan.
This was a conclusion shared not only by Jin but by most of those present. Even Ron, who still appeared calm, felt it.
Berakt straightened his posture and began to move.
“Many will die caught in this battle. And all of them will meet death because of you, Ron Hailan.”
Thud, thud, crackle…!
Berakt’s footsteps grew heavier and faster.
Though he was merely walking, the ground cracked beneath him, sending deep, resonant tremors from the earth. It was as if the land itself was screaming under his feet.
Within seconds, his steps had triggered an earthquake.
“You should have listened when I said I’d back down peacefully.”
Ron’s intangible blades swarmed toward Berakt, but none could reach him easily.
The aura radiating from Berakt distorted the surrounding space.
Swirling vortices the size of fists appeared in the warped air, pulling up piles of stones that were sucked into the whirlpools and ground into fine dust.
Even the intangible blades were affected by this gravitational pull.
Though not literally disintegrated like rocks or clumps of earth, the blades shriveled like paper exposed to heat, unable to follow the trajectories Ron intended.
The altered blades glowed a pale, ghostly color, becoming visible to the eye.
The earthquake sparked by Berakt’s steps intensified with every passing second.
When the distance between Ron and Berakt closed to about ten paces, Berakt slammed his greatsword into the ground.
An absurdly massive blade of energy sliced through earth and air, surging toward Ron. It was even larger than the blades Ron had fired from the warship Grnil.
Ron didn’t dodge. Instead, he stepped forward, swinging Rashid. The moment the white blade made contact, Berakt’s energy blade vanished as if it had never existed.
This was a battle between near-peak warriors. Every swing of their swords reshaped the battlefield in unpredictable ways.
Finally, their blades clashed.
When the greatsword met the longsword, the ground beneath them collapsed entirely. The shockwave was so powerful that even Jin had to dodge, as it tore through the surroundings.
The problem was that this single clash was only the beginning.
Kraaaah!
Berakt and Ron’s swords collided relentlessly, their battle cries echoing with each strike. The shockwaves eroded the outer walls of the Sword Emperor Fortress.
At this rate, the fortress would crumble.
“Murakan!”
A troubling energy was gathering aboard the warship Grnil.
It was the ship’s cannon—its barrel glowing with golden magic, much like Kozek’s. If the cannon fired, the Sword Emperor Fortress wouldn’t withstand the assault.
‘They won’t fire just yet. Not until they secure Vishkel and his group.’
The knights of Hailan were searching for Vishkel, but the chaotic battlefield made it difficult.
“You too, find Vishkel!”
[Understood.]
Amid the chaotic battlefield, Jin’s mind was racing.
‘Taking Vishkel’s group hostage is important, but they must have other plans…!’
If it were him—
If the Kinzelro group attacking the Sword Emperor Fortress were him, what choice would he make? How would he pressure the fortress most effectively?
Soon, Jin found his answer.
‘Kinzelro deliberately mentioned Vishkel’s group as soon as they appeared. Like they’d leave once they found them.’
In other words, everyone’s attention inside the fortress was fixated on Vishkel’s group.
What if, in the meantime, Dante Hailan fell into Kinzelro’s hands?
‘The moment Dante is captured, this fight is over. The Sword Emperor Fortress loses everything.’
Dante Hailan.
If Jin were part of Kinzelro’s faction, he would have kidnapped Dante by now. There was no easier way to win this battle.
They had to find Dante.
“Shuri!”
[Meow!]
Jin mounted Shuri again, scanning the area. Shuri still carried Veradin on her back.
“Let’s head into the fortress. We have to find Dante!”
[Meow meow!]
Shuri leapt forward, charging deeper into the battlefield. Even as Berakt fought Ron, he didn’t lose sight of this.
‘The Twelve Riders of Runkandel… Could it be that he’s going after Dante Hailan? Jo, that fool, should be keeping an eye on him.’
But Jo wasn’t even aware of Jin’s movements.
“Keheheh!”
Vishkel laughed madly, unleashing lightning from the warship wherever he went. He seemed completely intoxicated by the overwhelming power of the Grnil.
‘I was a fool to expect anything from that bastard.’
But Berakt couldn’t give orders to Jo.
If he raised his voice to command, the Sword Emperor Fortress might start moving seriously to find Dante. And once Dante was mentioned, there would be no way to deny responsibility if things ended badly.
“Quikantel!”
Before fully entering the fortress, Jin stopped to check on his comrades.
[Jin.]
“We have to find Dante. Please watch Veradin for me.”
Jin handed Veradin over to his comrades. Coincidentally, others were busy, so Enya ended up carrying Veradin.
“Hey, he’s lighter than I thought… No, wait, where are you going, Gongja!?”
“Into the fortress. We have to find Dante Hailan. Kinzelro is targeting him.”
“Not Lord Vishkel, but Lord Dante?”
“Vishkel too. They’ve probably already fled to a safe place, but we can’t be sure. If you see them, secure them.”
His comrades couldn’t move with Jin. Their defensive positions were crucial; if they left, massive casualties would be inevitable.
As Jin entered the fortress, the scene grew even more chaotic.
Much of the interior had already collapsed under the shockwaves from Ron and Berakt’s battle.
Fortunately, the knights inside had secured a retreat path to the rear gate, but civilians trapped under falling walls and ceilings screamed in agony.
“Where is Dante Hailan?”
“Until just a moment ago, he was rescuing people near the Great Hall!”
Upon hearing this, Jin immediately headed toward the Great Hall. The map the servants had drawn earlier included it.
As he entered, Jin confirmed his suspicions.
“Dante!”
He saw Dante surrounded by robed assailants.
Dante looked exhausted, breathing heavily. His clothes were soaked with blood from multiple wounds.
“Jin…!”
Near Dante lay dozens of corpses—those were the Hailan families he had been rescuing.
Even the body of a high-ranking Hailan knight was there—the very knight who had fought alongside Dante moments before.
‘These aren’t small fry.’
There were only three assailants.
For just three to completely overwhelm Dante and the high-ranking knights meant they were formidable.
They were clearly Kinzelro’s men, but no one immediately came to mind. Most of the skilled Kinzelro operatives Jin had encountered were either mages or beastmen.
These assailants were warriors.
Jin instinctively knew they were pure human fighters, unlike the gray-robed ones he had fought earlier.
“As far as I know, Kinzelro was struggling with manpower. Looks like they’re finally getting their act together.”
“Jin, these aren’t ordinary guys.”
“I know. Are you okay?”
Dante gave a wry smile instead of answering. As Jin approached, two of the three assailants stepped forward to block him.
Ssshh…
Bradamante drew her sword.
“What kind of madness is this, attacking someone’s banquet?”
The assailants struck first.
Two of them lunged at Jin simultaneously, their strikes fierce.
‘At least eight-star level or higher. Still, these two aren’t a problem.’
What concerned Jin was the one still pressing Dante. That one radiated a different, more dangerous aura.
It felt like even if Jin and Dante fought together, they’d need to unleash their ultimate techniques and demonic sword arts to stand a chance.
Among known warriors, few possessed such transcendent martial prowess—only those nearing the late nine-star or even ten-star ranks.
Still, the chance that such a renowned swordsman would suddenly join Kinzello was slim. Even in the Great Arena, if the fight dragged on, other swordsmen from Hailan would arrive. No matter how skilled—ten-star or not—one couldn’t stay hidden behind a mask forever.
Once their identity was revealed, hostility with Hailan would be inevitable.
He had to quickly take down the two assailants and then assist Dante.
The two attackers’ blades sliced through the air.
In the next instant, Jin decapitated one of them with a single strike. They had fought as if facing an ordinary knight, a habit that cost them dearly.
Ching, shing!
Though the beheaded assailant had managed to fend off Bradamante, it was the black blade that severed his neck.
The second form of the Spirit Sword, Scissors, had cut through him.
Apparently unprepared for one of their number to fall on the first exchange against the twelve Runcandel warriors, the remaining attacker flinched and stepped back.
He hadn’t realized what had sliced through his comrade’s neck—only that something dark had passed by like a trick.
“When you strike at Hailan, you must be ready to die. So don’t regret it.”
The black blade of Scissors surged toward the assailant once more.
Had he seen it just one more time, he might have been able to block a few of Scissors’ strikes.
Only now did he realize the blade was forming behind his back—and that death was unavoidable.
But the attacker facing Dante threw himself forward, intercepting the black blade. The impact pushed Jin backward, forcing him to catch his breath.
There was something oddly familiar about the sword that had blocked Scissors, and for a moment, a certain group flashed through Jin’s mind.
“…The Black Knights!?”
Jin tightened his grip on his sword and met the assailant’s gaze beyond the mask.