Chapter 416
Episode 120: Why Hyran? (10)
“This is absurd… How can this be real?”
Staring at the fully restored ship, Grnil, Jin was left speechless.
Not only Jin but the other warriors were stunned beyond belief that such a dreadful ship had returned intact.
Even Zipple had spent considerable time repairing the ship Kojek. Depending on the damage, repairs could take months, sometimes even years.
Yet, the captain had fixed Grnil in barely over ten seconds.
It was a fact so unbelievable that even seeing it with their own eyes didn’t make it any easier to accept. Could this even be called a “repair”?
Jin and the warriors couldn’t help but think that.
Pazzz…!
The ship Grnil was already forming a new storm cloud, casting a sinister shadow over the land.
In front of it, Captain Kinzello’s hand gathered shards of metal, shaping them into a sword.
It was the very blade that had ended the great mages Susan Lilista and Chukon Tolder in Oterium long ago.
“You say the legacy of Riol was stolen? That’s hardly the right way to put it. It was never truly yours to begin with.”
[We were the ones safeguarding it, so it’s ours.]
“By that logic, since I have it now, it’s mine.”
[Heh heh, I suppose that’s true.]
The captain chuckled.
Though Jin had often crossed paths with Kinzello and his group, this was the first time since the apprentice knight days that he’d seen the captain in person.
Suddenly, a memory surfaced from the records found in Temar’s second tomb—the moment he first saw this man.
-[What kind of trickery is this?]
-[Trickery? I’m just a lucky man, blessed beyond measure, trying to show kindness to poor orphans.]
-[Cut the crap and get lost before I kill you too.]
-[Don’t be so sharp-tongued. Hear me out, old friend. I’ve prepared a future that’s good for everyone.]
In the records, the captain appeared before Temar, the teenage knights, and Murakan during a battle at the ‘Tower’ in the Black Sea.
Jin had always wondered about their relationship.
What was the connection between the captain and Murakan? And what was this “good future” the captain promised in that second record?
“One thing’s for sure—the captain has wielded immense power for a thousand years, just as he does now.”
Few could have stood against Murakan a millennium ago, and in this era, the only one capable of teleporting and instantly restoring a ship was the captain.
And his power didn’t end there.
“So it’s true… the captain is the one forcing us to use our strength.”
The great warrior Berakt’s numerous wounds, large and small, vanished as if washed away.
Ron and Linpa didn’t press him further but instead observed the battlefield cautiously.
Silence fell.
The captain’s sudden appearance had brought a series of shocking events. Just when they thought the terrorists were cornered, everything had reset.
No, the situation was worse than before. They had no idea how far the captain’s regenerative powers extended.
[Kinzello, every time I see you, it just pisses me off. Hey, hey, who do you think you are, acting all omnipotent? Just a mere demon spawn. You’ll only come to your senses after getting beaten to death.]
Fwoosh! Kraaaah!
Murakan exhaled a black breath at the captain. Dark energy surged as if to obliterate him, but the captain swung his sword and effortlessly sliced through the breath.
[Murakan.]
[Calling my name again, huh? You’re crazy. Don’t expect to leave here in one piece today.]
Jin didn’t try to stop Murakan, who was brimming with fighting spirit. Unlike their first encounter, Murakan wasn’t losing his mind.
[Well, if you want to fight that badly, I have no choice.]
As Murakan charged, the battle resumed.
Grnil spread its storm clouds, and Berakt, fully healed, rampaged once more.
But even with his wounds gone, the tide of battle couldn’t shift much.
After all, facing Ron and Linpa together was beyond even Berakt’s skill.
“The White Wolf tribe… I’ll take care of them.”
Linpa’s words meant to leave Berakt to her and face the captain and Grnil. Ron nodded.
“Understood.”
Berakt snarled and swung his sword as Ron left, but he was overwhelmed by Linpa’s assault and couldn’t stop her.
“You mutt… I’m your nemesis. Assess the situation.”
Grnil still couldn’t unleash its thunderous attacks recklessly like before.
Jin’s ultimate demonic flame spell, Ancheon Fire Jade, was far from over.
He was still casting the grand spell from the outer wall, the chains of fire tightening around Grnil.
“Kinzello… the captain is handling Murakan with ease.”
Murakan had already used much of his strength defending the ground, but even so, the captain was clearly the superior fighter.
His swordsmanship was especially remarkable. The depth in the captain’s blade rivaled any sword Jin had ever seen.
Murakan shifted constantly between human and true form, engaging the captain in close combat midair.
The captain moved as if the air beneath him was solid ground—clearly accustomed to aerial combat.
[I felt it then too. Is this really the Murakan I knew? Why have you grown so weak, my friend? Thinking of the proud warrior you once were brings tears to my eyes.]
[Is that so? Weak, you say? I admit it. I’ve regained some strength, but I’m no match for my old self. That’s why I’ve learned something new.]
Murakan surprisingly accepted this without protest.
[You never cease to amaze me. Murakan, the great Murakan, learning something new? What is it?]
[Humans call what I learned ‘ganging up’ or ‘breaking a gang.’ That’s how they put it.]
Swish!
A gust of wind brushed past the captain’s back. It carried Ron’s intangible sword energy. As the steel bones beneath the captain’s skin scraped against the invisible blade, a grating sound pierced the air.
“Steel, huh? An unpleasant sensation.”
Ron leapt forward, slicing horizontally across the captain’s torso.
The steel bones snapped easily under the intangible blade but reattached just as quickly.
The faint, smoky areas where flesh and muscle should have been merely shimmered, untouched.
In other words, Ron’s sword passed through as if through water, but it wasn’t without effect.
“This too is just regeneration. It can’t be infinite. I’ll keep cutting until it can no longer heal…”
Jin and Murakan shared the same assessment.
They weren’t trying to read the captain’s inscrutable mind but noticed a change in Berakt’s behavior.
“Since the captain appeared and began using his power, Berakt has grown noticeably impatient. The captain’s power likely demands a cost beyond imagination.”
For someone like Berakt to lose his composure, the price must be steep.
“Perhaps the captain’s own life force, or something vital to Kinzello.”
Murakan swung his foreleg, creating an opening. Ron struck again, slicing through the captain’s spine. His steel sword grazed Murakan’s forehead but caused no serious injury.
On the ground, Linpa pressed Berakt, while the other warriors evacuated the wounded.
Only Hyran’s knights reformed their ranks, unleashing sword strikes on Grnil, still bound by Jin’s grand spell.
The tide of battle was visibly stabilizing.
But the problem was that Jin was the only one holding Grnil in place.
If Jin lost his grip, the ship would resume its assault on the land. The elite warriors might escape unscathed, but the ordinary people and lower-ranked warriors still on the battlefield would face death.
“Ugh…!”
A trickle of blood seeped from Jin’s lips. Mana reflux was beginning.
‘It’s still manageable. For now.’
If he were under attack, he couldn’t maintain the grand spell while suppressing the reflux, but for now, he could focus solely on the magic.
‘Not sure which will give out first—the captain’s power or my reflux. Probably the former.’
It was about time for them to arrive.
Jin spat out blood and shifted his gaze to the distant sky. This fight would turn in Hyran’s favor the moment they arrived.
The Dragon Knights.
Runkandel had the Black Knights, Zipple the White Night and the Phantom Corps, Biment the Royal Guard and Special Forces.
And Hyran boasted its own elite knights worthy of one of the world’s three great houses—the Dragon Knights, Hyran’s strongest warriors.
Jin just had to hold on until they came.
Even if Jin left the battlefield now, no one would blame him.
As an outsider, he had already done more than enough in a fight he didn’t have to join.
Kraaaah!
From beyond the dark dawn sky came a sharp, piercing cry.
Jin’s lips curled into a smile the moment he heard it.
Ron and the other warriors wore the same expression.
A flock of dragon-like bird-dragons streaked toward the Sword Emperor’s Star like meteors.
Thirty in all.
‘This is the first time I’ve seen them in person.’
The Dragon Knights spread out widely, encircling the battlefield.
Though thirty was hardly enough to “surround” the area, each was Hyran’s finest blade.
The entire battlefield was instantly soaked in the deadly aura of the Dragon Knights.
“Dragon Knight Captain!”
As Ron shouted, the man riding the largest dragon raised his sword.
“Loyalty! At your command!”
“Half of you secure the ground, the other half follow me. We will annihilate the enemy.”
Without needing further orders, the dragon knights split with military precision. Half descended, the other half ascended, converging around Ron and Murakan.
At that moment, Jin released the magic that had been gripping the warship Grnil.
The fiery chains swirling chaotically in the sky suddenly converged into a blazing orb, and Jin pointed his finger at the Grnil.
Once again, the black sky opened wide, spewing forth a colossal fire orb—the final form of the Annihilation Flame Orb, the ultimate technique of the Demon King.
Grnil quickly ramped up its power, trying to escape the blazing sphere, but the dragon knights blocked its path.
When the fire orb slammed into the hull, Grnil suffered yet another devastating blow, nearly breaking apart.
The commander had already been swallowed by the flashing blades of Ron, Murakan, and the dragon knights, his figure completely lost amidst the storm of steel.