Episode 570
Chapter 148: Sword Emperor (2)

Of course, Ron wasn’t mad from the pain of losing Dante, nor was he speaking without reason when he said Dante was still alive.

“Sir Ron, are you saying… Dante is still alive?”

Ron nodded, and Jin struggled to calm the flood of emotions swelling in his chest.

His heart pounded violently, as if pushed to its limit.

Since the war began, Jin had never once given up on Dante. Not even when the monster that swallowed his friend claimed Dante’s last will had vanished, not even after its blade and spear no longer hesitated to strike him and Ron, and not even when they were dragged into this pocket dimension.

Jin believed—no, he had to believe—that Dante Hyiran’s existence hadn’t been completely erased from this world.

More precisely, he wanted to believe it, because if he thought Dante was truly gone, he couldn’t bear to endure this horrific battle.

Yet deep down, he still couldn’t shake the thought that Dante might already be dead.

“You can feel his presence, can’t you? At the edge of this pocket dimension…”

The realization came the moment they faced the light of the Sword Star.

It revealed to Ron the ‘truth’ that had been hidden behind the veil of chaos all this time.

This pocket dimension wasn’t simply forged from chaos—it was the inner world of Gliek.

And because the long-lasting effects of the seal hadn’t fully faded, and the black sea transformation hadn’t been completed, Gliek still hadn’t realized what remained deep within himself.

Dante Hyiran.

The will that Gliek claimed had vanished was still resisting, lingering in some dark corner of his abyss.

Faint and distant like a faraway star, but undeniably there—even if only in a state of ‘unconsciousness.’

In other words, it was Dante’s will, left in Gliek’s unconscious mind, that allowed Ron to enter this pocket dimension alongside Jin.

So that Jin wouldn’t be trapped here alone, so that he wouldn’t vanish in despair without a single hope, there was only one person who could help him: his grandfather.

Dante was no different from Jin and Ron.

He, too, had never made a choice solely for himself amid this terrible, unending struggle.

“I’m going to save him now.”

Ron’s voice trembled slightly.

It was a tremble born from the overwhelming certainty that Dante was beyond, but it wasn’t just that.

Fear.

Fear that even after ascending the Sword Star, he might fail to save Dante; fear of whether he could truly cut down Gliek alone; fear that the hope they had barely grasped might vanish like a bubble…

All those feelings seeped into Ron’s voice.

It was an emotion he hadn’t felt while trapped in the mindscape, undergoing the corruption of the demon’s influence.

The dry, cold imagery unique to those who had just ascended the Sword Star hadn’t yet erased that fundamental fear.

But it also meant how desperately Ron longed for this.

Despair, death, even the demon’s corruption—none of it could overcome the aching love he felt for his grandson, which made him tremble.

“You’re afraid.”

Ron confessed his feelings to Jin.

“Then come with me, old man. Will you do that for me?”

“Of course.”

“Good.”

Suddenly, Ron bowed his head to Jin.

Jin didn’t react, but he showed no sign of being unsettled.

“I will remember this as a glory that will never come again.”

Ron finished speaking and turned away.

Tssssss…!

Rashid radiated brilliance. Its blade shone brighter than any sword Jin had ever seen.

The light of the Sword Star Ron had achieved was completely different from Siron’s.

If Siron’s Sword Star was the essence of a rogue’s path, Ron’s light was the very embodiment of righteousness.

Therefore, unlike Siron’s sword, Ron’s blade wasn’t meant to destroy, cut, or kill.

It was a sword to preserve, protect, and save.

The Hyiran family had stood alongside the empire’s history, wielding power that often surpassed the empire’s own, yet they always sought the safety of the people rather than usurpation.

Though they bore the White Stone, fearing the calamity their power might bring to the world, they endured it alone, never once succumbing to greed.

That long era of guardianship, passed down from ancestors, now crystallized in the sword symbolizing the head of the Hyiran family, lighting a flame in the darkness.

The pocket dimension responded to that light with even fiercer tremors. Gliek’s lingering hatred and rage seemed ready to materialize and overwhelm them.

In truth, Gliek planned to do just that, but the backlash from the radiance emanating from Rashid blocked him.

Then, as Ron gently swung his sword, the tremors ceased.

Instead, a chilling wind blew from all directions—it was Gliek’s agonized scream.

The power of the Sword Star, defying fate, was finally wounding him. For Gliek, it was pain he hadn’t felt in thousands of years.

Whaaaah…!

The sound of sand swirling in the wind echoed.

That faint noise quickly amplified, resonating powerfully throughout the pocket dimension, and in the next moment—

Jin saw the void darkness of the pocket dimension begin to scatter, as if it would never cut them again.

A crack was forming in the pocket dimension, like a closed door breaking apart.

When Ron slashed the space once more in a straight line, a new path, previously unseen, opened.

The passage gaped open like the jaws of a dead beast, leading deep into Gliek’s abyss.

The landscape beyond was completely different from the stable, solid form the pocket dimension had held before the tremors.

It was a massive chaos, raging like a storm-tossed sea.

Even with a Sword Star warrior right beside them, Jin wondered if they could truly cross that hellish scene.

But without hesitation, the two strode forward into the abyss, gripping their swords that shone like lanterns.

“If you can’t keep up, don’t force yourself—hide behind me.”

“I hope it won’t come to that, but I suppose I’ll have to rely on you.”

“Isn’t that how it always is? That’s why I asked you to come with me.”

The moment they stepped into the abyssal passage, sharp chaos pierced at them like spears.

Each one carried a power too great for Jin to handle alone. Whenever he struggled, he took shelter behind Ron’s shield.

‘It’s not just physical attacks. Like before, the chaotic energy trying to corrupt our minds continues.’

But unlike before, Jin was no longer affected by the chaos trying to erode his spirit.

Ron struck down the chaotic spears with his sword and used his energy to shield both their souls from attack.

Only Siron and Ron could walk this abyssal path. Without the power of the Sword Star, it was impossible to block the soul’s corruption.

But only Ron could walk here with someone else.

Siron’s Sword Star power couldn’t protect others from mental devastation caused by chaos.

Like a ship tossed by stormy waves, they staggered and swayed, but they were clearly moving forward.

The deeper they went, the more desperately Gliek tried to block their advance.

Yet, though they seemed on the verge of collapse several times, they held firm, never showing a trace of being overwhelmed.

They were like unbreakable stones tumbling down a cliff.

Now, the one being ravaged from within was not them, but Gliek.

And he still didn’t understand why those hateful humans risked so much to enter his abyss.

If they wanted to kill him, it would make more sense to leave the abyss and join forces with others outside, rather than destroy his inner world.

He still didn’t know that Dante was bound at the very bottom of his abyss.

“We’re almost there…”

Ron’s voice was weary.

Before they knew it, they had reached the end of the passage.

Normally, Ron’s strength shouldn’t have been so drained after crossing this chaotic sea, but since he had shared some of his Sword Star energy with Jin, it was inevitable.

Still, he wasn’t too exhausted to complete their mission.

Kraaaak…!

Gliek’s continuous roar faded into the distance.

As they neared the end, the chaotic resistance weakened far beyond what it had been at the start.

That meant this place was beyond Gliek’s control.

If he could have controlled this far, if the black sea transformation had progressed just a little more—

Dante would have truly vanished, just as Gliek claimed.

At last,

They faced a space of chaos that no longer attacked them.

A soft, black energy, almost like spiritual energy rather than chaos, surrounded them.

And then, they saw it. The White Stone…

Just as it had been inside the Sword Emperor’s inner fortress before it shattered, the sealed form of Dante began to appear.

Though blurred by the seal, they could clearly make him out.

Having overcome so much despair, transcended it all, and finally reached this serene chaotic landscape, neither of them could bring themselves to call out Dante’s name.

Ron’s eyes were wet as he swung his sword toward the seal.

The barrier shattered with a single strike, and finally—

Ron could embrace his grandson, freed from the chaos.

His throat tightened, and for a long moment, he couldn’t speak.

“Grandfather…”

Jin’s voice caught as well, unable to say a word, but Dante’s faint voice spoke words that made them even sadder.

“I couldn’t… defeat him. I… I overcame everything… but foolishly… I was deceived at the end…”

“It’s okay, Dante. It’s okay, really…”

Lon couldn’t hold back his tears any longer and broke down like a child.