Chapter 537
Episode 145. Omen (6)

It was as if the sun itself had pierced through the sky and descended upon the battlefield.

The eyes of those watching Jin’s blazing orb of fire glowed red.

To his allies, it was a flame of hope and victory; to his enemies, a fire of terror and defeat.

The runes left behind by Riol Ziphl spread light across Jin’s body.

Those who had survived the Sword Emperor’s assault had seen these rune characters scatter like snowflakes before.

Back then, Jin had unleashed this very magic to destroy Kinzello’s flagship, the Grnil.

But now, the final form of the Annihilation Dark Flame Orb, the Demon King’s ultimate spell, was incomparably larger than anything witnessed at the Sword Emperor’s fortress.

Though still reeling from the shock of the Reverse Sky, even that paled in comparison to the legacy of Riol Ziphl.

Jin had transcended human limits. At this point, even calling it “magic” failed to capture the true nature of his power.

It was divine sorcery.

With the wills of two gods intertwined, even those who did not know their names could feel their presence through Jin—Solderet and Klam.

Some instinctively clasped their hands to their chests; others dropped to their knees; some closed their eyes.

Almost everyone on the battlefield bowed unconsciously to Jin.

Even amid the ongoing war, this act was nearly irresistible.

The highest beings in existence are called gods.

And from the realm of those gods, the two supreme deities sat behind Jin, radiating their majesty.

Though not a perfect manifestation, even the lowliest creatures and the forces of nature paid their respects to the divine presence.

Worms beneath the earth trembled; birds flying far above cried out; the wind briefly ceased its movement.

The darkness of night retreated, avoiding Solderet’s shadow.

So how could the humans locked in battle do anything but worship?

Especially Murakan, a dragon born of Solderet, was deeply moved by this faint divine manifestation.

“Solderet…!”

Though he had never shown it, ever since he was stabbed by his friend’s sword and fell into a thousand-year slumber, or even before when Solderet’s voice began to fade—

Murakan longed for his god. To lose one’s god, a being born from divinity, was a pain beyond even a human losing their parents.

[Hah, Murakan. Are you crying?]

[What nonsense? Look carefully—do you see any tears?]

[You’re being sensitive. So you did cry.]

[Hmph! Don’t mistake me for you. The Overlord of the Heavens doesn’t shed tears.]

A new power filled Murakan’s barrier.

Though it was a temporary boost granted by Solderet’s will dwelling in the mirror, to Murakan it felt more fulfilling than the moments when he had slowly regained his old strength after awakening.

Darkness deepened. All the lights within the influence of the Dark Sky rapidly lost their power.

Torches went out, and signal flares that had been fired across the battlefield vanished into the gloom.

The protective shields that had shone like bubbles everywhere faded in color, and even the temporal powers wielded by Quikantel dimmed.

They hadn’t disappeared entirely, but it certainly looked that way.

In the darkened landscape, the only source of light was Jin’s magic.

Drawn to that blazing orb, Jin’s body rose into the air.

Though the remaining seventeen ships outnumbered him in sheer volume, they looked like mere insects before the sun.

Though mass-produced, this was Ziphl’s fleet—not just ships, but an entire armada.

Until recently, there had been only one flying warship in the world: the Kozek.

Since the appearance of the Grnil, mass-produced ships had flooded the skies, but the might of flying warships had not diminished.

A flying fleet still meant slaughter and terror on the battlefield.

Yet this entire fleet was blocked by a single man, unable to act.

[The legacy of the greatest mage of the family, how dare Rune Kandel…!]

[You insult us!]

The opportunity for bombardment, won at the cost of half the fleet, ended in futility.

Now, the only thing left for the Phantom Corps was their final chain magic.

[The real insult is on you. The gods of infinity and magic reveal their will before your eyes, yet you fail to recognize it…]

Can you even call yourselves mages?

Jin’s cold voice continued.

[You are nothing but meat with strong mana, reckless dead who defy the natural order. If only your leaders were here, at least as humans, they would have shown proper respect.]

Jin’s finger pointed at the red fleet.

The runes swirling around him surged toward the fleet. From the ground, it looked like a river of stars flowing through the sky.

Riol’s runes marked the red fleet and the Phantom Corps.

At the same time, mana flared from the staves of the Phantoms.

No matter how great their power, the Phantoms lacked the dignity to match it.

Thus, their final chain magic, the Phantom Corps’ self-destruct device “Exploding Star,” failed to unleash its sharp brilliance and simply fizzled out.

Though powerful, it lacked any element that could challenge the gods’ majesty.

The Exploding Star couldn’t even spark a candle’s flicker.

A monstrous scream echoed as the summoned Phantoms disintegrated—without destroying a single thing in the Sword Emperor’s fortress.

Only the seventeen flying ships exploded alongside their self-destruct devices.

Grotesque machines designed to kill humans shattered, scattering black fragments.

[Murakan, stop it!]

[Ugh, so many fragments! It’s too wide—there’s no way to block them all with my barrier…]

Murakan stopped speaking, eyes wide.

Each fragment falling into the allied lines, every countless shard of death—

Riol Ziphl’s runes were etched upon them, following Jin’s will to ensure not a single ally would be harmed.

[…We both worried for nothing. Solderet’s will has manifested.]

Flare, hiss…

Despite Murakan and Quikantel’s efforts to strengthen their powers and shields, the runes perfectly disintegrated the fragments before they could reach their comrades.

The fiery orb hanging in the sky began to move forward.

Thousands of streams of flame poured from the orb, binding the destroyed ships together.

Falling ships halted their descent, but those not caught by the flames continued to crash to the ground.

Those were the ships falling toward the Emperor’s and Ziphl’s forces.

“R-Run away…!”

“Evade! Get out of the way!”

It was like a mountain was pouring down.

There was no way to stop it. Ordinary shields were useless; only superhumans who had reached a higher plane could bear such weight.

So the enemies shouted for everyone to flee, to avoid it—but it was just desperate words with no real hope.

Where else could they run?

Surrounded by the darkness of the Dark Sky, barely able to see the person next to them, the enemies could only wait for death.

The more terrifying truth was that what they couldn’t stop was only the fragments of the red fleet.

From the moment the Reverse Sky unfolded, not only the Phantoms but the ground forces had lost formation. Command had lost its meaning, and orders no longer reached the troops.

The Emperor’s army was not without capable individuals. They followed the Emperor’s orders, but the commanders had wanted from the start to end this war with minimal casualties.

Who would enjoy war, unless they were mad? Especially a war that would bring down the very pillars of the empire.

While Ziphl might not care, the Emperor’s forces were now certain of defeat.

Therefore, the commanders wanted to save as many soldiers as possible, even if it meant their own deaths.

It wasn’t repentance for this unjust war, but a belief that a commander must do so.

But if that sun fell to the ground…

“If this continues, it’s annihilation. No one will survive…”

Not just the knights and mages, but perhaps even the Emperor himself in the rear.

If the flames spread to the rear, everyone left there would perish.

Tens of thousands would die.

No one in the Emperor’s army had ever considered that such an unreal number of deaths could occur in mere minutes.

“How… how can we avoid this?”

“Jin Rune Kandel! We’ve lost! Please, stop this, I beg you!”

In the end, surrender declarations erupted throughout the Emperor’s forces. Commanders called for surrender without even waiting for the Emperor’s orders.

Despite the deafening explosions shaking the heavens and earth, Jin heard those desperate, faint voices.

And he answered immediately.

[No matter your background or circumstances, the fact remains that you tried to trample and kill my friend.]

Kneeling like a condemned man before the executioner, the Emperor’s forces slammed their heads to the ground, screaming.

“Please… save us…”

[Therefore, I could burn you all to ashes without regret, but it seems my gods have a different will than mine.]

As Jin slowly clenched his fist, the sun of the Dark Sky began to wane.

At that moment, the Emperor’s forces who had been prostrate inside felt hope and cried out. Many howled like beasts, shouting thanks.

But Jin’s and the gods’ mercy was not boundless.

[I will withdraw my magic.]

The sun of Amcheon, which had once bathed the entire sky in its fiery glow, vanished in an instant as if it had never been.

By that time, not a single fragment remained among the allied forces, and their formation was perfectly intact.

Meanwhile, despite the disappearance of Amcheon’s sun, shards from the fleet continued to rain down relentlessly over the enemy’s heads, triggering explosions nonstop across their ranks.

Jin and the two gods had the power to stop every last one of those fragments—but they chose not to.

This was the price the Emperor’s army had to pay.

[So those who can survive, survive—and run. My promise still stands: I will not hunt down or kill those who retreat.]

Jin finished speaking.

The remaining Emperor’s soldiers scattered wildly, like insects fleeing from beneath a shattered rock, desperate to escape wherever they could.