Chapter 417
Episode 120: Why Hiran? (11)
The shattered remains of the Grnil never even reached the ground.
The reason was the black ki filling the sky. The fragments caught in the ki scattered like dust, and the commander’s form dissolved like smoke, unable to hold shape.
“It’s over.”
With the Dragon Knights arriving, there was no chance the tide of battle would turn again.
Jin made that judgment. Unless Ziphl suddenly sent reinforcements to Kinzello or the Bimant royal family betrayed them, a reversal was impossible.
The alliance between Ziphl and Kinzello had long since broken—no hope there. And though the Dragon Knights belonged to Hiran, their command came directly from the emperor.
This was the result of the royal family’s generations-long effort to keep Hiran in check. The Dragon Knights had come under imperial orders to protect the main base.
“Before they escape, we have to inflict as much damage as possible.”
Even with the Dragon Knights joining, completely wiping out Kinzello here and now was impossible. They wouldn’t have come without a means of retreat while attacking Hiran.
Kwa-ddduk-geuk…!
The fiercely spinning fire orb suddenly stopped moving. It was as if a giant had taken a bite out of it—where the orb had been, a massive semicircle opened up at the front of the Grnil.
As the flames died down completely, Jin wiped the blood from his lips.
There was no longer any need to worry about reflux. From now on, Jin’s role was simply to watch the battle unfold.
On the ground, Linpa and the Dragon Knights continued to press Berakt. His once fully healed, massive body was once again covered in wounds.
But Berakt proved why he was one of the world’s strongest—he refused to take a decisive blow easily.
The Dragon Knights were breaking into the front of the shattered Grnil. Though Kinzello’s forces inside resisted fiercely and the ship’s structure made entry difficult, it seemed only a matter of time.
Moments later, Jin saw the commander—who had been torn apart—suddenly reappear at the Grnil’s bow.
The faint, scattered ki gathered to form a body in front of the bow. Clearly, this was to block the Dragon Knights from entering.
The process had taken a toll; the newly formed body trembled like a leaf in the wind.
“He’s pushing himself too hard… to protect the Grnil.”
Not only Jin but everyone watching felt the same.
“More precisely, he’s trying to protect those aboard the Grnil.”
Inside the ship were Kinzello’s core members: the Chaos Sculptor Bubar, Vice Commander Vishkel, the Master Developer Jo, and Margiela.
Margiela’s exact abilities were unknown, but judging by how she was treated, it wasn’t just because she was Vishkel’s sister. She was also connected to chaos.
“Dragon Knights above, attack the ship all at once!”
When Ron gave the order, the Dragon Knights formed a tight formation. The charging dragon steeds lined up in a breakthrough formation, their sharp wingbeats piercing the air.
Since Jin had already shattered the Grnil with a great spell, it seemed the Dragon Knights could destroy it in an instant.
But then—
Everyone on the battlefield realized that Kinzello’s commander had not yet revealed his full power.
The commander’s previously faint form suddenly darkened.
His blood-red eyes glowed fiercely. Though there was no overt murderous intent, the gaze was ominously foreboding.
The commander’s steel sword sliced through the air, and the sword ki that radiated from it—
Jin swallowed hard.
“Luna-nim’s… Heart Sword!?”
The red sword ki was the same Jin had seen only once before—when Luna used the magic stone to cut down Andrei Ziphl.
Though not exactly the same form as Luna’s ‘Heart Sword Red Moon,’ the red sword ki the commander wielded clearly resembled Luna’s blade. It was believable that the same person had wielded both swords.
“Watch out!”
“Block it!”
Ron and the Dragon Knights’ captain shouted simultaneously.
The charging dragon steeds twisted sharply, and the Dragon Knights raised sword barriers instead of attacking directly.
The commander’s sword ki tore through the sword barriers of Hiran’s top knights like paper. It wasn’t just a superficial resemblance to Luna’s sword—it was the same terrifying power.
Fortunately, no Dragon Knight was killed or seriously wounded by the red sword ki. The ki passed through them and only stopped when it met Rashid’s radiance.
“When Luna-nim saved the Orgal pendant, she said she cut down a demon. Could it be that Kinzello’s commander is a demon related to that?”
Jin couldn’t confirm for now.
The Dragon Knights who had nearly entered the ship were pushed back. Those too close had their dragon steeds’ wings torn by the commander’s relentless red sword ki.
Kyaaak!
Other Dragon Knights descended to rescue the falling steeds.
At that moment, Jin clenched his fists without realizing it. A gap had appeared in the Dragon Knights’ formation—an opening the commander of that caliber could never miss.
“The Dragon Knights’ formation will crack.”
Losing formation in such a chaotic battle would be a devastating blow. Especially losing dragon steeds meant losing aerial combat capability.
But the commander couldn’t push the sword ki through that gap.
Wobble…!
Instead, the commander showed signs of overexertion—a weakness he should never have revealed to the enemy.
As Jin had predicted from the start, the commander was not in full health.
But would that be good news for Jin, his comrades, and everyone fighting Kinzello?
Definitely not.
“If he can show this kind of power while barely holding his body together with his unique authority, then when he fully recovers…”
Jin couldn’t even begin to imagine how strong he would be.
“He might even rival Father.”
Except for the warrior Ban and Temar, no one had ever left such an impression on Jin. The commander’s power was that shocking.
Whoooosh—!
Murakan charged toward the commander, carrying Ron on his back. The commander wavered in midair, missing the gap in the Dragon Knights’ formation.
Though it was only a brief opening.
But if the ones rushing in through that gap were the Black Dragon Murakan and Sword Emperor Ron, the situation was bound to change.
“Break him, Ron Hiran!”
Murakan wrapped himself in a protective aura shield.
It was a shield to protect himself from Ron’s sword, and it also acted like a curtain, blocking the commander’s view.
Ron’s entire body was bathed in radiant light.
As he leapt off Murakan, a dazzling brilliance flooded the area.
Emperor Sword Secret Technique: Sun
The secret sword technique Ron had used inside the castle against intruders.
But Ron’s Sun and Dante’s Sun were only alike in name—their power was on a completely different level.
Fwaaah!
The aura light from Ron formed a literal sun-like sphere. Both the commander and the Grnil were engulfed in it.
The Dragon Knights who had saved their falling comrades regrouped. Their role was to create a safe zone, preventing the Sun’s power from spreading to their allies on the ground.
Despite the Dragon Knights’ efforts, deep, massive craters formed across the battlefield. The shockwaves shook the entire earth, and the ruined Sword Emperor Castle trembled precariously, as if about to collapse.
The deafening noise and the flashing light, sharp as a finely honed blade, stabbed at the eyes.
Nothing living could survive inside Ron’s Sun. Tens of thousands of blades shot from within the sphere, cutting through the Grnil and the commander.
“Commander!”
Berakt looked up anxiously. But before he could fully take in Ron’s Sun, his vision was filled by Linpa’s greatsword falling toward him.
The greatsword sliced through Berakt’s chest. The next strike severed his ear, and just before he could put distance between them, two toes were cut off.
Meanwhile, Linpa remained unscathed.
“Now… die.”
Just as Linpa swung to finish Berakt off—
Graaah…!
Crack!
A roar echoed from the sky, followed by a sharp tearing sound.
It was Kinzello’s commander’s roar.
From the cracks spreading throughout the Sun, a crimson light bled out—the red sword ki.
The Sun shattered.
Ron’s secret technique, unleashed with all his might beneath the Sword Emperor Castle’s sky, was broken by another’s sword.
Like a receding tide, the light of the Sun and the red sword ki faded. Even Murakan’s aura, which had blackened the sky, couldn’t withstand the impact.
The sky quickly returned to its original color.
Amid it, the half-destroyed Grnil blocked the dawn moon, and the commander stood at the bow.
No longer a faint form, but a demon in a shape very close to human.
Guhk…!
His entire body was torn and shattered beyond recognition. Half of him was ripped to pieces, bleeding profusely.
Even his head, coughing up blood, was half gone—an utterly grotesque sight.
Before the commander hovered Murakan, wings folded tightly.
Flap!
As Murakan spread his wings, Ron Hylan, who had been hidden, came into view. Unlike the commander, who had been torn apart alive, Ron showed no additional injuries.
But Jin, the dragon knights, and Murakan all knew the truth.
Ron had sustained internal injuries severe enough that continuing the fight could be fatal.
Meanwhile, despite his body being ripped and blood pouring from his mouth, the commander somehow radiated a strange calm. The ship he had been protecting, the Grnil, lay half-destroyed by powerful magic.
Huff, huff…
The commander exhaled heavily and, with his one remaining arm, lifted his steel sword.
Suddenly, a steel gate larger than the Grnil filled the sky. The dragon knights tried to fly in and prevent the Grnil from passing through the gate.
But Ron’s gaze stopped them. No one knew what might happen if the battle dragged on.
The commander nodded slightly, as if agreeing with Ron’s judgment, and watched the Grnil pass through the steel gate.
Then, with a faint half-smile curling at the corner of his mouth, he calmly slipped through the gate and disappeared.