Chapter 644
Episode 164: Land of the Ominous God (6)

Though Talaris had narrowly escaped a fatal wound, his condition was far from good.

His internal injuries had worsened, and his breath was tinged with blood.

If not for the warrior’s spirit—the very essence that had challenged Siron the most—Talari’s entire body would have already been torn apart in a frenzy.

“The enemy of Runcandel is attacking the Garden of Blades, yet you come here to face Talaris instead? I didn’t realize you held such a grudge against him.”

The chaotic energy that had protected the Garden of Blades, Kalon, and Ram was weakening.

All of that chaotic energy was converging into Rosa.

In other words, it had become her personal power.

Jin, sensing the overwhelming chaos radiating from her, was reminded of the nightmare that was the Sword Emperor’s War.

Rosa narrowed her eyes, as if amused by Jin’s thoughts.

[Would you have done any differently?]

Rosa Runcandel would have made sure to take down Talaris before me.

The moment Jin faintly sensed Talaris’s cold aura, that thought had immediately crossed his mind.

Looking back, there was no real reason to be so certain.

Without question, from Rosa’s perspective, it was far more efficient to keep overwhelming the massive forces of Ziphl and Kinzelo than to waste time on just one man—Talaris.

After the chaotic energy around Ram and the city thinned, the bombardments from each faction pierced the skies above the Garden of Blades more easily than before.

When Jin didn’t respond, Rosa smiled.

[You hate to admit it, but you resemble me more than you think.]

Bang!

A thunderous blast echoed from the divine strike.

Rosa casually deflected Kaio’s arrow.

Though his energy was drained from providing long-range support, even Jin before exhaustion wouldn’t have been able to withstand such power so easily.

“Resemble you? Don’t equate a great Thirteen Sword King of the Mingwang clan with a monster like you.”

[The Mingwang clan? This is my first time seeing one in person. But your first impression is disappointing. To think you’d provoke me just to save that child… The Mingwang sword your youngest sibling often showed me never felt so pathetic.]

“You’re arrogant because you trust in power gained through sacrilege.”

[Sacrilege… I’ve never cared for such vague, human standards. Not even before I became chaos itself.]

Crack!

Suddenly, a black blade sliced across Kaio’s back. Had he reacted any slower, his body would have been split in two.

Rosa didn’t move. The blade that cut Kaio was a chaotic sword formed beneath his feet, following Rosa’s will.

Before long, dozens of such blades had formed. The shattered beams of divine strikes left glowing remnants in their wake.

Before those traces faded, the black blades swirled, targeting Jin, Kaio, and Talaris.

“Brother Jin! Don’t worry about me—save our comrade!”

Kaio shouted as he fired a barrage of Sansi arrows, pushing back the chaotic swords.

Jin had no time to answer. The icy shield formed by Talaris and Mott to protect him was collapsing far too quickly.

Meanwhile, Rosa’s blades multiplied with every blink—one hundred, two hundred, three hundred… She had first moved the moment Jin charged at Talaris.

[The value of a family lies not in sacrilege or evil, but in the way of the sword. You often said that, didn’t you? Earlier, too. I’ve thought about it a lot. No matter how much I ponder, I can’t tell the difference.]

Jin, blocked by the frenzy, took a step back.

[Runcandel has killed countless people, reveling in conquest and plunder. To some, that’s sacrilege. What is your standard?]

Jin didn’t hesitate.

“I’m a man born of the Sword Clan, the rightful heir of the Demon Sword—not a plaything of chaos. That’s all.”

[A pleasing answer.]

Jin stepped back, parrying the frenzy.

The power Rosa displayed in just one exchange clearly surpassed his own.

Even if he hadn’t been worn down by previous battles and injuries, it would have been the same.

Moreover, he felt the energy seeping through the clashing blades, penetrating his body.

‘Like poison… chaos is infecting me!’

Chaos—the dark force that ensnares humans in demonic temptation.

Rosa herself was a massive embodiment of chaos and its most potent contagion. Ordinary warriors would be consumed by chaos just by standing near her.

Perhaps even warriors above rank nine couldn’t handle it, and even superhumans would find it impossible to engage her in prolonged combat.

No, it wasn’t just a thought—it was a certainty.

His battle spirit and radiant heart throbbed wildly, pushing back the chaos emanating from Rosa.

‘This wasn’t happening when we first met in the Garden of Blades… Did I receive something more from the Prophet after our conversation went awry? Or was she hiding it all along?’

Either way, Rosa’s infectious power meant one thing:

Right now, Jin was the only human in the mortal realm capable of standing against her.

[So Ilina was right—the Mingwang clan is immune to chaos energy. Then you, too, have transcended humanity.]

“You seem eager to put us on the same level. Why? Are you seeking false comfort in the idea that you’re not the only one who’s crossed the line?”

[You’ll understand when you have children of your own—satisfying children who resemble me. That joy is immense. I am nothing more than that.]

“You’re completely insane. I’d prefer not to be equated with someone who’s surrendered to chaos.”

[If that were true, Runcandel would have been finished before you arrived. You seem to misunderstand that part about me.]

Madness—or demonic possession.

Though she was called mad, Rosa was different from Ron, who defied fate, or Smarion of the Gui Valley Star.

Having absorbed such chaos, she should have lost her sanity long ago, yet Jin sensed no such sign from her.

If anything, Rosa seemed more alive than ever.

Until now, the acting head of the clan in Jin’s memories had rarely shown emotion—especially joy or satisfaction.

Now, Rosa genuinely looked pleased.

But also sorrowful. For having to kill her beloved child with her own hands.

Jin’s gaze shifted behind Rosa. Talaris and Mott were barely holding on amidst the swirling chaotic blades.

[You want to save the Second Lady? I suppose you’ve always cared for her more like a mother than I have.]

The frenzy of blades pierced Jin’s chest. He barely blocked the strike with Bradamante, but lost his footing and was knocked backward.

I’m jealous…

Rosa said that, then turned away from Jin’s counterattack to look at Talaris.

Thoughts of Talaris surged through Rosa’s mind. Looking back, she realized she had always been jealous of the Second Lady—not just now.

Siron had always been closer to her than to Rosa.

[What if the eldest took the sword that saved you and ended the Second Lady’s life? Would that wound you a little?]

Meteor Shower.

Rosa’s third ultimate sword technique, the bloodline sword that first saved Jin—a frenzy raised high, summoning black meteors.

Its power surpassed even Luna’s heart sword, Jeokwol, which had wiped out an entire island that day.

But the black meteors hung suspended in the sky, unable to fall—like caught in a snare.

Ultimate Sword Technique: First Form
The First Night

Sensory deprivation—the first sign of the ultimate sword technique.

For a moment, Rosa’s vision went dark.

But before three seconds passed, she regained all her senses and began controlling the meteor shower again. The spiritual energy of the First Night, which had held the meteors, was starting to falter.

A tug-of-war began between Jin and Rosa. The spiritual energy of the First Night and the chaotic energy of the meteor shower pushed against each other.

[Is this the finest sword you’ve forged so far?]

The thousand or so black blades that had swarmed the battlefield suddenly froze. Rosa’s full focus was on the meteor shower.

Thanks to that, Kaio, Talaris, and Mott could pause and catch their breath.

But they couldn’t move. The frozen blades formed prison bars, blocking their path.

Kaio still had enough strength to try breaking through, but Talaris did not.

Mott attempted a brief dimensional shift, but exhaustion and the thick chaotic energy blocking the portal to the Otherworld made it impossible.

Time on the battlefield seemed to stand still. The meteor shower and the First Night moved only imperceptibly.

Jin’s ultimate technique was losing ground. The layered spiritual energy barriers silently tore apart under the meteor shower’s assault.

Rosa shook her head in disappointment.

[Quite… a magnificent sword.]

Her disappointment wasn’t because Jin’s ultimate was weak.

Despite appearances, Rosa knew her meteor shower was being perfectly blocked by the First Night.

She was disappointed that she couldn’t kill Talaris with that sword.

Crack!

As soon as she finished speaking, the meteor shower began to be absorbed into the First Night.

Blood poured from every orifice on Jin’s face, and Rosa showed signs of being slightly wounded.

But that was all. Rosa would immediately unleash her next sword to finish Talaris.

Jin had little strength left.

Still, he threw himself forward.

‘If I can muster my last strength to unleash the Mingwang Sovereign Sword again…!’

What comes next?

He hadn’t even considered that far ahead. All that filled Jin’s mind was the single, unshakable resolve: Talaris must not die.

In that instant, his heart completely overpowered his reason.

Talaris was that kind of person to Jin. A comrade—always carrying that much meaning for him.

At that exact moment, Kaio shattered the blades of chaos and advanced alongside Jin, and Talaris tried to shout out—to tell him not to come, to run and survive.

She had already faced Rosa’s sword before Jin arrived. That was why she knew Jin was Rosa’s only true rival.

If Jin died here trying to save her, the world would lose its last hope against Rosa.

But before Talaris could voice those words—

Jin realized he didn’t have to risk his life right now to save her.

Above Talaris’s head, a dragon was descending.

A black light poured down like salvation.

“Long time no see, kid.”

The black dragon Murakan.

Jin’s guardian dragon.