Episode 560
Chapter 147: King of the Black Sea, Gliek (4)

Gliek.

The King of the Black Sea, who had existed in the form of a white stone, had clearly awakened by using Dante as a vessel.

As the creature said, his body was most likely gone by now, but perhaps some fragment of his consciousness still remained.

Of course, it could all be wishful thinking.

Jin’s desperate hope that his friend was still alive might be clouding his judgment.

Yet when the massive sword of chaos descended upon him, Jin couldn’t understand why Gliek had hesitated for a moment.

‘Is it because he just woke up and isn’t fully stable yet?’

Jin was aware that Gliek was far from whole. Though this was the first time he’d seen the creature, the twisted, damaged state of its body was unmistakable.

More tellingly, Gliek had mistaken Jin for “Solderet.”

‘He speaks as if he knows Solderet well and hates him deeply, yet he’s confused enough to mix us up. That means his mind isn’t right either.’

That realization sent a chill down Jin’s spine. Even in an imperfect state, Gliek was overwhelming everyone on the battlefield.

Kuuuuung…!

Rashid, stained gray, struck upward at Gliek’s upper body. It was a strike filled with all his strength. For the first time since Gliek had awakened, Ron managed to shatter several of the creature’s swords and spears.

The broken weapons rained down like an avalanche, pounding the ground. Ron rode the whirlwind of shattered blades once more, leaping forward and hurling Rashid at Gliek’s face.

Hundreds of arms blocked the way again, and this time, instead of gravity, a repulsive force pushed him back.

Still, Ron managed to leave a long, deep gash across Gliek’s face.

It wasn’t without cost. Ron was pierced all over by spikes that suddenly shot out from Gliek’s face.

Jin and the Black Knights leapt forward simultaneously, shielding Ron during his brief moment of vulnerability.

Fourteen spikes had pierced his body, and though dark red blood welled up, none of the wounds were fatal.

But the fact that Ron was injured by Gliek’s reflexive spike attack was a problem in itself.

The speed of those spikes was beyond what even a knight of Ron’s caliber could dodge or parry.

His stamina was reaching its limit.

He hadn’t been in top form since the second round began; in truth, Ron was in a state where it wouldn’t be surprising if he collapsed at any moment.

“Sir Ron, are you alright?”

For a moment, Jin saw Ron’s eyes cloud over. There was that distinct scent of ash—the smell of someone close to death.

“I’m… fine.”

Jin and the Black Knights scanned their surroundings.

Talaris was still holding the formation, while Runcandel and Ziphl’s support remained distant.

Though Jin was the main target of nearly all attacks, and their minds were not fully clear, Gliek wasn’t ignoring his rear.

The creature continued to unleash chaos outward, preventing Runcandel and Ziphl from advancing.

Over ninety percent of Gliek’s chaotic energy was spent blocking reinforcements.

So what Jin and his group were enduring was mostly Gliek’s raw physical assault.

Ron planted his sword into the ground and rose. In that moment, he noticed the earth turning an unnaturally deep black. Jin and the Black Knights saw the same phenomenon.

“The ground… this is…”

It wasn’t darkened by the heat of battle or smoke.

‘It’s like the Black Sea.’

The Black Sea—the land named for its black waters.

Stam, who had long participated in Siron’s expedition as a Black Knight, had witnessed this phenomenon firsthand before: the land turning into the Black Sea.

Jin had also heard similar accounts from Pikon Minche about Ozdok.

-[As the Black Sea rapidly expanded, Ozdok was swallowed by the poisonous land of the Black Sea. It’s like being buried alive while trying to hibernate.]

The land where the Sword Emperor’s fortress stood was turning into the Black Sea under Gliek’s influence—a land where no one could survive.

Crunch.

Ron clenched his fist, grabbing a handful of earth. Instead of black soil, his hand was filled with hard crystals of chaos.

“How far do you intend to trample on my land…?”

The chaotic crystals crumbled into particles in Ron’s grasp and scattered somewhere.

Jin couldn’t find the words to say to him.

Perhaps all the tragedies that had befallen the Sword Emperor’s fortress stemmed from his own return to this time, and a terrible guilt clung to his heart like rancid oil.

Ziphl had been crafting Demon Stones even before his return, the royal family had always sought to push Hylan out, and the White Stone had always been there.

The battle for the Sword Emperor’s fortress was bound to happen, regardless of Jin’s return. If anything, Jin’s presence here might be steering things toward a better outcome.

But no one could tell Jin it wasn’t his fault. He couldn’t even believe it himself. The sorrow the giant before him was enduring was unbearably bitter.

All he could do was fight with everything he had. As always, that was the best he could do.

The overwhelming pressure suppressing Gliek was fading.

Tess’s energy was spent.

Gliek seemed stunned by the wound on his face and paused briefly, but then swung hundreds of swords and spears again.

Ron staggered.

His legs wobbled unsteadily, and now Jin and the Black Knights were almost forced into a protective formation around him.

Since the Black Sea transformation began, Gliek’s energy was rapidly blackening the ground.

Jin was growing weary. Stam and the Black Knights fared better since the battle hadn’t lasted long, but they were losing strength quickly from enduring the chaos and covering for Ron.

What was worse, the more the Black Sea spread, the more Gliek’s twisted form stabilized.

His attacks grew fiercer with time, and his energy expanded. Runcandel and Ziphl’s breakthroughs slowed inevitably.

Crack! Thud!

Eventually, a single black sword slipped past Jin and the Black Knights and struck Ron.

Though he barely parried, he was sent flying, collapsing to the ground.

He had already pushed past his limits multiple times. From the moment he awoke from his long unconsciousness until now, Ron had been performing miracles.

He was at the very edge…

“Sir Ron!”

“The 12th Cavalry!”

Jin and Stam shouted simultaneously.

Jin instinctively lunged to save Ron, but Stam thought it was a mistake.

Stam was right. Losing balance to protect Ron would only give Gliek an opening.

Jin expected Gliek to target him recklessly, so with Stam and the Black Knights there, even if Jin got hurt, Ron could be saved.

But as the Black Sea spread, Gliek was regaining his mind. He decided it was better to kill Ron first while he had the chance.

And Gliek’s spear was faster than Jin.

The massive spear descended like a thunderbolt toward Ron.

“Damn it, damn it, damn it!”

Jin gathered his energy and launched a lightning-fast thrust.

Blood burst from his mouth and nose, but his technique—

Missed by a hair’s breadth.

In that split second, Jin cursed himself fiercely for failing to intercept such a colossal spear.

Ron had no strength left to fend it off.

The moment the spear was about to pin Ron down was etched in Jin’s vision like slow motion.

Then, once again—

Gliek faltered.

The spear stopped just before crushing Ron.

[This…]

It was barely a second, but enough time for Jin to throw himself forward and push Ron away.

“Gah!”

Jin took the spear instead, letting out a scream.

The backlash made him feel as if his bones and organs would burst, but the relief of saving Ron made the pain almost bearable.

Stam and the Black Knights followed up, blocking the next attacks.

Now, they all sensed something was wrong with Gliek.

But none of them thought about Dante.

Ron, though his consciousness was fading and darkness clouded his vision, recognized clearly.

Dante… Dante, my grandson, ah…

How are you there? How?

His eyes were cloudy.

When Jin had asked if he was okay earlier, Ron’s sluggish answer wasn’t just from exhaustion.

At the moment the fourteen spikes burst from Gliek’s face and pierced him, Ron had thought, like Jin, that perhaps somewhere inside that monster, Dante’s consciousness still lingered.

Now he was certain.

“I can feel it, Jin. Inside him… my grandson, Dante.”

[Persistent, aren’t you?]

Ron’s vision went dark.

He had lost his sight.

“Ah, yes, it’s me, your grandfather.”

His body’s flame was fading, and all that remained was a blind, desperate will of love for his grandson.

That was what kept him speaking in a hoarse voice despite nearly losing all sensation.

“Sir Ron, Dante is inside him. You have to hold on to your consciousness!”

“Dante… I will save you…”

Crack! Boom—!

As Ron muttered under his breath, Glliek swung his sword again. Jin and the Black Knights countered, but if they missed just one more attack, Ron would be torn apart without a trace.

Unlike Jin, the Black Knights had already given up on protecting Ron. Unless they used the Tears of Numerus, revival seemed impossible.

But Jin stubbornly refused to abandon Ron.

“12th Cavalry, you have to give up. This is beyond our limits.”

“No. We have to save him. Sir Stam.”

“Do you really not understand that acting on emotion won’t change anything in this situation?”

That was wrong.

In fact, Jin was making his decision with almost no emotion at all.

The reason he was determined to save Ron was clear.

Kelliac Ziphl.

The very man who had condemned Hylan to such a brutal fate was about to arrive.

‘He will… definitely save Sir Ron.’

Using the power of the Demon Stone.

Whether that could truly be called “saving” was uncertain, but one thing was clear: with the Demon Stone’s power, Ron could fight again. Even if it meant crossing every line.

Stam read Jin’s expression and belatedly understood his true intentions, a chill running down his spine.

If Jin were acting out of grief and stubbornness, he would have given up on Ron by now.

It would have been better for Ron to find peace than to be forced back into battle by that cursed Demon Stone.

But what Ron wanted was not peace.

If there was even a trace of Dante left on this desolate battlefield, something that had once made Dante who he was—

Ron would fight until he reclaimed it. No matter how horrific or cruel the means.

Because he knew his grandson was still somewhere inside that monster.

“Kelliac Ziphl will take action on Sir Ron, and Sir Ron will fight. Above all, this battle absolutely requires Sir Ron. Since the Lord is not here… Captain of the Black Knights, do you really think I’m ruining this because of emotion?”

Suppressing his despair with great effort, Jin spat out the words.