Episode 575
Chapter 148: Sword Sovereign (7)
As Dante’s life force gradually returned, a fierce warmth surged within Ron’s chest. Though the overwhelming power of Creation dulled his emotions, it couldn’t mask the deep stirring of gratitude that welled up, moistening his eyes.
The chaotic energy pouring out beyond the protective barrier was noticeably diminishing. Ron’s sword technique tore through Gliek with increasing speed and ferocity.
The once-dominant Gliek, who had effortlessly overwhelmed the elite forces of the world’s strongest clans, was nowhere to be seen now.
Shing, slash!
The forcibly formed shape of the creature was being cut down by the second. Gliek’s momentum was rapidly faltering, while Ron’s blade grew ever more potent.
Gliek’s screams had grown quieter—not because the pain lessened, but because its energy was fading.
The swirling black chaos that had engulfed the sky was shrinking. Seizing the moment as the creature’s influence waned, Jin finally reached Rosa and Thalaris.
“Little brother,” Rosa said, wiping the blood from her lips. For a moment, the siblings exchanged a silent glance.
Jin never thanked Rosa for rushing to save him, and Rosa never expected it. They had simply done what needed to be done.
After a brief nod to Rosa, Jin turned his gaze to Thalaris. The moment he saw her, he understood something clearly: if Rosa had continued to plunge into the heart of the battle to save him, Thalaris might already be dead.
It was impossible to entrust Dante’s seal to Thalaris now—she could barely hold herself upright. Fortunately, with Dante’s life returning, they could manage without her help for the time being.
But Rosa’s expression as she examined Dante was grim.
“He’s alive, but as a warrior, he’s as good as dead.”
“What do you mean?”
“All his meridians are blocked, and the entire aura control system, including the dantian, is critically damaged. Didn’t you notice?”
Jin had been too frantic to realize.
Upon checking, it was exactly as Rosa said. Unless it was the miraculous Tears of Numerus that could revive the dead, Dante would never fully recover.
Jin clenched his eyes shut and sighed.
“As long as he’s alive, that’s enough. Just not being dead… that’s enough for me.”
“I hope the same can be said for Lord Ron and Dante Hiran.”
“Are you alright, kid?” Murakan’s voice cut through the tension.
Jin nodded. Murakan still wanted to take him and escape immediately, but Jin refused.
“There’s no way to break through that chaos and Lord Ron’s protective barrier. Even if it were possible, leaving now would only invite greater danger.”
If Jin and Murakan could leave the battlefield, so could Keliak and Rosa.
If that happens, Keliak will chase after Dante and me. Even if the clan manages to shake them off, my mother would be just as much at risk.
Keliak needed to capture both Jin and Dante—Jin to complete the Demon Stone, and Dante to prevent Ron from recklessly wielding the Ziphl in the future.
The same applied if only Rosa remained.
She didn’t care for Dante like Jin did. Like Keliak, she saw Dante merely as a pawn to control Ron Hiran. Jin and Murakan lacked the strength to protect Dante from them.
Therefore, after the war, Jin had to ensure Dante returned fully to Ron’s care. It was a duty as a friend and a responsibility as a human being.
Rumble…
Gliek’s forcibly formed body writhed in agony.
Everything the creature had planned since awakening from its seal had failed. The fate once set in stone was now changing.
After being sealed for so long, to vanish so futilely was unbearable for Gliek.
Why was Ron’s mind so unshakable?
As his body was torn apart, Gliek naturally pondered the cause. The power of Creation he knew could never stabilize this quickly.
Soon, Gliek reached a conclusion.
[You… the moment you touched Creation, you shared its energy with the contract holder of Solderet. So that’s how you endured the demonization.]
“It’s unsettling hearing a monster speak like a human.”
[Why did you do that?]
“You wouldn’t understand.”
[Do you regret it?]
“Of course.”
[You are a special human. Even if you combined hundreds of millions of mortals, none could surpass the power you’ve gained.]
“Then why are you being erased by me?”
[Hahaha…!]
Gliek let out a bitter laugh.
He admitted he couldn’t defeat Ron. But he still had one desperate option left.
[Self-destruction was my role, not yours.]
Ron furrowed his brow.
He had never considered the possibility of self-destructing alongside Gliek. Even if he saved Dante, if he died, he couldn’t protect him going forward.
That’s why he had been wary of Gliek self-destructing. If the massive chaos that composed the creature exploded all at once, even Ron couldn’t guarantee his survival.
Suddenly, the chaotic winds ceased moving. As the chaos consuming the earth and sky froze, the humans felt a foreboding chill.
Like streams converging into the sea, the halted chaos began gathering at the center of the battlefield. Ron tried to intercept the flow, but the creature’s energy did not stop.
Choose, Ron Hiran!
About ten seconds later, Gliek’s voice echoed across the battlefield again.
The choice was clear.
[You can escape alone. Whether you protect yourself or save mortals who are worthless compared to you, I will watch until the end. With pleasure…]
For Gliek, this was the best and last option.
Since he had shared the light of Creation with Jin, Ron could never fully prevent his self-destruction. Even if he did, he would die or be too weak to fight. For the sake of his brothers beyond Mount Tigris, this had to be.
Even if Ron fled alone, it wasn’t all bad. Abandoning the family he so desperately wanted to protect would only amplify his resolve.
At that moment, Dante stirred.
“Dante!”
Though his life force was returning, he still wasn’t fully able to move.
Yet, like Ron overcoming death, he took steps toward his grandfather.
“No… you can’t, Grandfather…”
Ron looked back at his grandson running toward him.
Seeing him approach with a broken, battered body, Ron smiled.
He didn’t tell him to retreat before Gliek’s chaos exploded. Instead, he raised a light to clear the path, letting Creation’s wind support Dante’s steps.
“Come closer, Dante.”
Tears of blood streamed from Dante’s eyes as he neared Ron.
Thud…
Dante collapsed into Ron’s arms.
Ron gently patted his grandson’s back a few times, then grasped his shoulders and helped him stand.
“Dante Hiran, my grandson.”
“Grandfather…”
“I intended to give you everything anyway. The timing was just forced to come sooner. From the moment you were born, my life belonged to you.”
Dante couldn’t speak.
The instinct that this was truly their last moment, the certainty that his grandfather would never change his choice, choked him beyond endurance.
“Fighting through all that pain, I finally understand how hard it’s been for you.”
Ron placed his sword, Rashid, into Dante’s hand.
Dante shook his head, meeting Ron’s gaze, but Ron’s grip on his hand was firm.
And warm. So warm that Dante couldn’t pull away even if he wanted to.
“Now…”
You are the Sword Sovereign.
You will become the Sword Sovereign.
At Ron’s words, Dante broke down in tears.
He realized an incredible vitality was surging through his body.
The light of Creation that Ron Hiran had gained, and the true energy of a warrior known as the Sword Sovereign, were transferring from Ron to Dante.
Like sand slipping through fingers, not all the power could be passed on—just as when the light of Creation was shared with Jin.
But Dante’s blood surged fiercely again, and his shattered organs began to mend.
Moreover, the ‘innate chaos’ that had made Dante so frail since birth was disappearing. This was because the white stone—the source of that chaos, Gliek—was losing its consciousness.
There was no longer any being that could be called Gliek in this world.
Only a massive chaos, like a volcano on the verge of eruption, filled the battlefield.
“I have always been proud of you.”
“Grandfather, please, please stop. It’s not me who should survive—it’s you. If I’m left alone…!”
“And above all else, I have loved you. This old man has lived a blessed life.”
Ron lifted his head and met Jin’s eyes, who had followed Dante.
“Take good care of Dante. I’m indebted to you until the very end, without giving you anything in return.”
Jin was left speechless.
Ron held Dante in his arms one last time. Feeling his grandson’s heart beating strong and steady, he found a measure of comfort.
“Now go, Dante. This isn’t the end for either of us. Don’t let sorrow keep you rooted here for too long.”
Ron turned away, and Dante and Jin’s bodies began to rise into the air.
Dante struggled, reaching out toward Ron, but their forms drifted apart, carried along a path of light.
“Grandpa, Grandpa…!”
Only after Dante’s voice calling to him had completely faded did Ron glance back at the glowing trail where his grandson had vanished. He waited until the distance dulled the ache in his heart before looking back.
Then, taking up a sword in place of Rashid, he stepped forward into the heart of chaos—to end the war.
In that moment, the fate of chaos—the death of Dante and the ruin of Hailan—was about to be rewritten entirely.