Episode 572
Chapter 148: Sword Emperor (4)

Since Jin and Ron vanished into the pocket dimension, the battlefield outside had rapidly turned bleak.

The enemy had revealed a power far greater than before it was bound by the Demon Bow’s sealing device.

It had concluded that all variables the humans could hope for were now blocked.

After a full day of relentless fighting, the giants had failed to inflict any damage on Gliek.

They couldn’t even mount proper attacks like in the early stages.

Unable to deliver any decisive blows, and with the enemy’s energy growing stronger, they were barely able to defend their own forces.

No matter how many times they struck, the enemy was like the sea—always returning to its true form.

They couldn’t wear it down, nor could they reseal it with the Demon Bow’s device. The situation was grim.

The only moment Gliek paused its assault was when Ron severed the white stone lingering in its depths.

It was only a matter of time before Ziphl, Runcandel, and the giants of the Demon Bow fell.

Keliak had considered retreat, but after a day of the Black Sea’s corruption spreading, even that seemed impossible.

Then, Ron returned to the battlefield, empowered by the Sword Star, accompanied by Jin and Dante.

How Ron had managed to enter the Sword Star in such a short time, and what had happened while he and Jin disappeared, was a mystery to the giants.

But one thing was clear:

From now on, the fight would no longer be the absurd struggle it had been.

Gliek was taking damage.

A brilliant sword aura spread like a whirlwind, forming a protective barrier around Jin and Dante.

The chaotic energy recoiled like beasts before a flame, unable to breach the shield.

“How… what have you done, Ron Hiran?”

Gliek’s gloomy voice still carried an aura that could instill terror in any human.

Yet even the giants—and those on the battlefield who had not reached transcendence—felt it.

Fear was seeping into the enemy’s voice. Every time Ron swung his sword, Gliek faltered.

Though Gliek’s massive form was comparable to the Sword Emperor’s fortress before its destruction, Ron standing before it seemed even more colossal.

“That’s my concern. What have you been doing all this time, my Hiran?”

Wuuuuuuum!

Rashid emitted a powerful resonance.

The intangible sword—the symbol of Sword Emperor Ron Hiran’s enlightenment.

Since the start of the Sword Emperor War, the sword had gradually lost its pure form.

As the battle grew desperate, its transparency faded to gray, and when Ron fell into the abyss, it was stained black with chaos, even stabbing his own allies.

Now, the sword energy pouring from Rashid was intangible once more.

But the reason Ron’s sword aura was invisible wasn’t just because his sword was technically superior as before.

Just as those who haven’t reached the Sword Star cannot perceive its light, Ron’s new intangible sword was the same.

To most humans, it was simply an unseen sword energy.

But to figures like Siron Runcandel, it shone with unparalleled brilliance—and Gliek saw it that way too.

The blinding flash made Gliek recoil, as if facing it would tear his body apart and scatter him into nothingness.

“Answer me.”

Ron locked eyes with Gliek, and following his will, the Sword Star’s energy surged into the enemy’s body.

[Kaaaargh…!]

Gliek writhed in agony, screaming.

The intangible sword energy was breaking down the chaos that formed the enemy into particles.

A silent storm.

Those who knew Ron’s intangible sword could only describe it as such.

Though a vast power like an ocean tore Gliek apart, the force itself was invisible.

Even the giants couldn’t fully grasp how the intangible sword energy flowed.

“You don’t intend to speak, do you? Then I’ll recite it for you.”

Screeeek!

Several of Gliek’s reflexively extended arms were severed by Ron’s sword.

“White Stone, Gliek. You destroyed Hiran’s territory, made this land uninhabitable, and attempted to kill Hiran’s sovereign. As the Sword Emperor, I will hold you accountable and carry out your sentence.”

The sentence was annihilation.

Ron’s eyes blazed fiercely as he spoke.

Amid Gliek’s screams, laughter mixed in—a terrifying howl shaking heaven and earth, mingled with a chilling, mocking wind.

[Hahaha…! Impressive. You are undoubtedly the most extraordinary human I have ever met. I commend you.]

Gliek’s massive form rapidly shrank.

Ron felt no special emotion toward the enemy’s composed demeanor.

[But even if you have gained the power to defy fate… that doesn’t mean you can always do so.]

Wheeeeee—

Gliek’s body began to scatter.

As the unnecessarily enormous form vanished, the chaos lost to the intangible sword energy lessened.

The enemy became a black wind, scattered across the battlefield.

The giants still struggled to break through the chaos and reach Ron.

Though Ron was dealing a fundamental blow, the overwhelming chaos still made it difficult even for them.

Still, the giants were slowly regaining their composure.

‘It’s safer for Ron Hiran to protect Jin directly than for me to do it… but the real question is whether he will protect Jin to the very end.’

‘Forcing the youngest to stay would only put him in danger. The King of Chaos seems to have other plans, so we should prepare for that. If Ron abandons Jin, it’s something we can’t change, so worrying won’t help.’

Keliak and Rosa thought.

They feared Gliek’s desperate thrashing and the possibility that Ron might “give up” on Jin.

The latter seemed unlikely, but they worried nonetheless.

Though they hadn’t reached the Sword Star, they understood well how those who did lost their humanity.

Those who reached the Sword Star risked becoming monsters for life.

Rosa had witnessed Siron’s state immediately after reaching the Sword Star.

At that time, Siron was little more than a murderer.

It took a long time for him to stabilize into the calm, emotionless state he held now.

Ron might not be immune to the same fate.

In fact, as Rosa and Keliak feared, Ron was still struggling with the inner battle against the abyss within himself.

[Especially now, when mortal emotions still cling strongly to you…]

Gliek’s voice echoed through the chaotic black wind.

Though it was true that Gliek had miscalculated and inadvertently allowed Ron to ascend the Sword Star, it still held onto the possibility that Ron could become like him.

Perhaps Ron’s ascent was only a prelude.

And even if Ron managed to keep his humanity, Gliek was confident his own combat power was superior—and aware that Ron’s Sword Star power specialized in ‘protection.’

Whoooooooosh!

The scattered chaos began to swirl at the center of the battlefield.

At the same time, the chaotic energy coloring the ground surged violently.

It was as if black tidal waves were rising from all directions.

Everyone on the battlefield except Ron was left speechless.

They had already been pushed to their limits.

But now, the power Gliek was beginning to reveal far exceeded anything humans had faced before.

Gliek’s chaos was blooming.

This meant the Black Sea’s corruption had fully matured, granting the enemy its true power.

Until now, it had been restrained—absorbing Jin, blocking those who entered the abyss.

The Origin Stone was forged from the essence of all gods, and even the prime of the Pluto race had fallen to its power.

The Black Sea Kings were those who divided that power into five fragments.

There was no way this was all it had revealed.

Since the war began, time had never sided with humans—not even now.

“Huff…!”

The giants halted their charge, catching their breath.

The poisonous chaos rising from the ground clung to their ankles.

All other humans couldn’t even breathe properly.

The Black Knights and Wraith Guards coughed up blood from the invading chaos, while lower-ranked knights and mages quickly lost consciousness.

Talaris was also in poor condition.

Because Elona’s seal remained unbroken, she lacked the strength to protect herself.

Still, Talaris hadn’t fallen because Rosa quickly assessed the situation and returned to her side.

“Demon Bow Lord, stick close to me.”

Rosa recalled how, before Jin disappeared, Talaris had tried to tell Keliak she had one last move left.

As Rosa and Keliak expected, Jin and Dante were unaffected by the chaos rising from the ground.

Ron’s power was shielding them.

That meant Ron had to keep protecting them while fighting Gliek.

And Jin had sensed something was wrong with Dante the moment Gliek’s rampage began.

‘Dante’s body… is being consumed by chaos again…!’

He saw Dante’s hand wrapped around his own neck gradually darkening.

Rondo was aware of this and seethed with anger, but Jin didn’t show it enough for anyone to notice.

Only Gliek saw it clearly—he knew Rondo was slipping into rage. And that rage would soon turn to hatred, tempting Rondo once again.

[Rondo Hylan, if you want to defeat me, you must have nothing left to protect…]