Chapter 562
Episode 147: King of the Black Sea, Gliek (6)

Uuuuuuu…!

A chilling, dark energy began to emanate from Hroti. The power of the Demon Stone coiled around Ron like hundreds of black snakes.

That power became his flesh, his bones, his blood.

Warm breath escaped from his parted lips, and his shattered body was restoring itself, inching closer to its original form.

Ron’s resurrection was unlike any other who had been revived by the Demon Stone before. He was not merely a wraith given a physical form—he was something far greater.

All the gods sealed within the Demon Stone had bowed to his will.

Since the disappearance of Numerus, the god of hope, no deity had ever witnessed a mortal overcoming death purely through their own will, without divine blessing.

Nor had they ever heard of such a thing.

It was such a staggering event that even trapped within the Demon Stone’s haze, even while trembling with fear of Gliek, the gods clearly recognized the miracle Ron had wrought.

No bars of the Demon Stone, no veil or trickery could conceal this radiant miracle that now illuminated this dark and terrifying land.

“A resurrection so close to perfection… I thought it impossible without the Demon Stone’s completion… Ron Hyland, how many times do you intend to astonish me?”

Reverence beyond respect.

Kelliak’s heartbeat quickened. Before Gliek awoke, he had looked down on Ron, backed by the Demon Stone’s power—and now that felt like a humiliation.

Even Gliek seemed impressed.

The gods’ power to revive the dead held no fascination for him, but a miracle achieved by a single human alone was worth witnessing.

This was no time for arrogance.

It was just that, in this long, lonely immortality that felt like a punishment, he doubted he would ever see such brilliance again.

Gliek also held a hope.

That this man named Ron Hyland might one day become like them—like the other Kings of the Black Sea who had once wished the same for Siron.

Unfortunately, the will of Dante still lingering inside Gliek failed to recognize Ron’s miracle. Since the Black Sea corruption began, Dante’s faint flicker of consciousness was fading faster than ever.

Huuuu…

At last, the black energy of the Demon Stone fully permeated him. Ron exhaled deeply and opened his eyes.

His body was no longer weak as it had been upon awakening from illness.

The newly attained state of nothingness granted him a solid strength he had never known before. The bones and organs he had lost in exchange for wielding the Overlord Sword had all returned to their rightful places.

As his body fully restored itself, only one thing remained unchanged.

The sorrow of losing everything. A grief so deep it had driven him even in death, tearing, clawing, and shattering his heart.

“Sir Ron.”

Ron turned to Jin.

Jin couldn’t bring himself to meet his gaze. The guilt of having planned to resurrect him with the Demon Stone—and witnessing it happen firsthand—was suffocating.

Ron said nothing.

Instead, he gently patted Jin’s shoulder. No words he knew could properly express his gratitude and comfort.

Slowly, Ron began walking toward Gliek, passing by Kelliak Ziphl without a word.

The Demon Stone no longer trembled in fear.

Not because Ron now felt he could defeat Gliek, but out of respect for the man named Ron Hyland.

Kelliak silently followed behind him. Talaris, Stam, and the Black Knights naturally formed ranks around Ron.

Following the path Kelliak had carved to this place, Octavia and the Ziphl mages, including the Phantom Corps, entered the fray. Almost simultaneously, the knights of Rosa and Runcandel joined the battlefield.

Unlike Ziphl’s forces, who were hard to find unscathed, Runcandel’s troops showed almost no losses.

Unlike Kelliak, who had rushed in to save Jin at all costs, Rosa had come alone, protecting all the family’s knights.

‘Did Kelliak resurrect Ron Hyland? No, that’s not all.’

Rosa hadn’t witnessed Ron’s miracle directly.

But she could tell that Ron had not simply been revived by the Demon Stone’s power.

From his back radiated an indescribably pure and strong energy. The meaning was clear.

‘He keeps transcending his limits…’

A continuous transcendence.

Ron now was stronger than before. His very aura sent shivers through her body.

Yet Rosa also knew the truth about the Kings of the Black Sea. None could be felled except by Changsung.

In the past, she had seen Siron, just before reaching Changsung, break through walls like Ron did now.

But even Siron had needed a long time to climb that final step.

Rosa believed that no matter how many more transcensions Ron achieved in this battle, reaching Changsung was impossible.

More than anything, she feared that if she allowed herself even a glimmer of hope, her judgment might cloud without her realizing it.

Except for the Black Knights and the first wave of the Black Sword Order, all of Runcandel’s knights had taken positions toward the Balmel Alliance.

They had orders to quickly evacuate Jin’s comrades and escape from Gliek once the battle began.

This was not an act of kindness toward Jin.

If Rosa truly cared for Jin, she would never have given such an order.

She was saving Jin’s comrades to avoid adding variables to an already overwhelming fight.

If any of them died, no one could predict how Jin might react. Normally, she could control him by force, but against Gliek, there was no such luxury.

Like Talaris, Rosa understood that there was only one thing they could do.

‘If Siron has already crossed beyond the depths of the Black Sea… even using the Eye Toad of the Secret Bow Mistress will require at least ten days.’

That meant they had to hold Gliek off for more than ten days.

This place was the world’s last line of defense.

The moment Gliek broke through the gathered knights and mages and escaped outside, the world would face the threat of destruction.

No force existed outside capable of stopping the King of the Black Sea.

Kinzelro remained.

But the fact that Kinzelro—who alone knew the secret of the White Stone—was not here meant this was exactly the scenario they had wanted.

‘Purely by combat, there’s no way to hold out this long.’

Rosa met Talaris’s eyes.

‘So the key isn’t the now stronger Ron Hyland, nor Ziphl who wielded the Demon Stone, nor even us of Runcandel… it has to be the Secret Bow Mistress.’

The absolute seal of the Secret Bow.

Only that could buy the time needed for Siron’s arrival. Rosa and Kelliak, both aware of the Secret Bow’s sealing power, shared the same thought.

The question was whether the absolute seal could truly hold for more than ten days.

A shadow fell over those fighting Gliek.

[Speak your name.]

It was the first time Gliek had fully focused on someone other than Jin.

“Ron Hyland. The grandfather of the child you swallowed, the rightful lord of this land you seek to annihilate, and the man who will kill you.”

[Just now, your child’s final will vanished.]

Ron remained unmoved. Misfortune no longer affected him. He could no longer grieve.

The pain lodged in his heart was like an ocean. No matter what was added to this sea of sorrow, it would sink into the depths and disappear. Even Ron could not gauge its size or depth.

“I see.”

[Not even death could erase your pain. The only salvation is to become one like me.]

Rashid darkened to ash-gray. The Overlord Sword’s markings appeared once more on Ron’s body.

He had no regrets about the life he had just regained minutes ago. Even if he cut down Gliek, what meaning would life hold afterward?

One of Gliek’s massive arms emerged from his colossal form and lowered itself before Ron, as if to grasp him.

[So if you wish to escape eternal torment, come to me.]

Instead of answering, Ron swung Rashid upward and severed the arm. But the fallen limb was absorbed into the blackened earth and returned to Gliek.

[You never see even an inch ahead.]

At that moment, Gliek’s attention toward Ron vanished entirely. His gaze fixed back on Jin, and the battle resumed.

Hundreds of swords and spears pressed the humans faster and more precisely than before. Ron howled like a demon and hurled Rashid forward.

The spreading ash-gray sword energy clashed with the chaotic aura.

Yet Gliek seemed to judge that even the Overlord Sword in Ron’s perfect state posed little threat.

No matter where Rashid cut into his body, Gliek barely defended himself, focusing nearly all his attacks on Jin.

As Rosa had predicted, Gliek was more wary of Talaris than Ron.

He saw that someone in this world possessed the power to defy fate—and that humans planned to summon him here.

Just as Kial and Siron had sensed Gliek’s awakening, he too recognized their presence.

As the Black Sea corruption deepened and his mind cleared, their power became more distinct.

Gliek believed that if he could only prevent the demigod fighting his brothers from arriving here, nothing else would pose a problem.

But even if the demigod were to come here, the chance of them posing a real threat was extremely slim.

He couldn’t possibly be in full strength right after his battle with Kial. In other words, whether Siron came or not, Gliek’s attempts to keep Talaris in check were nothing more than dismissing even the slightest possibility.

Because a power that defies fate is always dangerous, no matter when or under what circumstances.

“Lady Archer, if you unleash the seal, how long do you think you can hold against that thing?” Rosa stepped forward, addressing Talaris.

“…It would be difficult to last more than three days, Rosa Runcandel,” came the grim reply.

Hearing that, Rosa clenched her teeth, steeling herself.