Chapter 852
Episode 212: Recall Order (Part 1)

Gliek, Kial, S, Nirgand, Morganiel.

The Five Kings of the Black Sea.

Siron’s expedition had finally engaged in battle with S, following their fight with Kial. It was the first time in nearly four years that they faced one of the Black Sea kings again.

The reason no one in the expedition had died so far was solely because of Siron Runkandel.

And this time, Siron had no intention of letting his daughter or his knights perish. Alongside him was Ozdok, the legendary monster who had officially become a member of the Runkandel family.

“Vanessa, it’s time for you to pull back and take care of Ozdok. From now on, he won’t be able to withstand the aftershocks.”

Two days had already passed since the battle with S began.

Ozdok had retreated far to the rear as soon as they encountered S, but Siron anticipated that the shockwaves of the fight would soon reach even that far.

“Understood, Lord.”

“Luna, can you still hold on?”

“I’m fine, Father.”

“You’ve grown.”

“I’m enduring the worst domain on the surface.”

Despite fighting a life-or-death battle with S, the atmosphere within Siron’s expedition was markedly different from before. The eyes of the knights, once dying from chaos poisoning, now shone with vitality and fighting spirit, just as they had before entering the Black Sea. And Siron himself radiated a passion that suggested he was enjoying the fight.

In other words, it wasn’t as dark or grim as before.

Back when they believed their only fate was to explore the Black Sea and die or become monsters, the mood was completely different.

All of this was thanks to Siron’s awakening. Just before the battle with S began, Siron had freed himself from the demonic corruption.

As Vanessa withdrew from the battlefield, Luna and the Black Knights reformed their ranks behind Siron.

[Siron… how can you be so intact? After killing my brother Kial, you should have been tormented by the demonic corruption.]

S couldn’t understand.

The Five Kings of the Black Sea had all been certain that Siron would eventually become like them. That by severing the gods’ will that had created the Black Sea kings, Siron would finally be reborn as a complete being.

His power was something no human should possess.

“I was tormented, for a long time. There were countless moments when I almost became the same as you.”

[You overcame all those moments…? What could have possibly made you like this? The will to transcend fate is like a consumable. Neither immortals nor mortals can sustain eternal transcendence. You must have already used up all your willpower…]

“Eternal transcendence? I don’t know about that yet. My lifespan isn’t infinite, so when it ends, my will will likely fall asleep with it. But you won’t be around to see that.”

S, today you will be erased here.

Siron smiled slyly as he spoke, his confident and dignified demeanor showing no trace of hesitation.

“The only thing that can stop me is death. But no one in this world remains who can kill me.”

[Siron, you…!]

S could only seethe with rage.

Because when facing Siron, he couldn’t help but believe those words. He had to accept the arrogance of someone who claimed nothing could kill him anymore.

S watched.

The first mortal to overcome demonic corruption was pointing his sword at him. Just looking at it made S feel as if his entire body was being torn apart, his insides ravaged.

When Kial was killed, the Black Sea kings had thought Siron was taking one more step toward uniting them. Kial’s demise was painful, but they believed Siron had merely absorbed all the chaos Kial had held.

In the end, Siron would carry all of Kial’s chaos and become like them.

“How could this be… Brothers, Siron Runkandel is no longer the one to unite us… but the one who will destroy us…!”

S was forced to accept that this was a grave misjudgment.

From the start, Siron was not an incomplete being split into five like them, but a monster standing alone.

The moment Barisada moved, S tried to block Siron’s approach by releasing a massive amount of chaos. S took the form of a one-eyed beast, his huge body quickly enveloped in the chaos.

The former Black Knights and Luna couldn’t keep up with S’s movements. Like a whale swimming in the deep sea, his position was impossible to track.

But Siron erased the chaos that had engulfed himself, Luna, and the knights in an instant, pinpointing the space where S was trying to hide.

“You said you would be erased here today.”

Siron’s will became words, and those words were an unavoidable sentence. Barisada pierced right through S’s single eye.

Though the eye quickly healed, S shuddered at the fact that nearly ten percent of the chaos forming his body had already vanished.

No matter how transcendent the power of creation was, it couldn’t erase the chaos of a Black Sea king this quickly. As far as S knew, only three could do such a thing.

The witch Helluram, the god who forged the gods, and their greatest fragment, Morganiel.

[Creation… is there a realm beyond that?]

“My sword is the same as before. Only now that the demonic corruption is gone, I can wield it with a clear mind.”

Swish!

S’s head fell to the ground. Luna and the former Black Knights cut away the chaos trying to reconnect his head and body, supporting Siron.

Among the expedition, Siron was still the only one capable of delivering a fundamental and fatal blow to the Black Sea kings.

Though Luna’s Heart Piercing Scarlet Moon sword also wielded power similar to creation.

“Save your red sword, Luna. Until you reach my level, the number of times you can use it is limited.”

Luna understood Siron’s words as a warning to prepare for the other Black Sea kings still to come. Besides, it wasn’t the time to recklessly use her Scarlet Moon to help her father.

“Understood, Father.”

Every time Siron swung his sword, S’s chaos and the dark domain he formed were sliced away like paper.

If Vanessa hadn’t been sent ahead, Ozdok wouldn’t have survived the aftershocks.

Even as Siron began to finish off S, he couldn’t help but smile at the thought of Ozdok’s foolishness. The creature was probably clinging to Vanessa right now, crying out “Oh dear!”

‘The youngest one sent me a treasure… Ozdok. If it weren’t for his frivolous and trivial nature, I would have lost my humanity completely before meeting S.’

The battle continued like that.

S made only rough, meaningless resistance, while Siron steadily and decisively pressed him.

Siron sometimes sustained minor wounds.

But unlike with Kial, no chaos seeped into those wounds like poison. His skin tore, red blood flowed—just like any ordinary being wounded by a normal weapon.

Not a single deep injury broke his bones or damaged his muscles or organs.

Siron was utterly overwhelming S. Luna and the former Black Knights only had a few scratches, because S was so cornered he couldn’t even pay attention to anyone but Siron.

Crack!

Siron drove Barisada once more into the eye of the fallen Kial. The once massive S now resembled Siron in size. Over ninety percent of the chaos forming S had been erased by Barisada.

[How… how is this possible? What allowed you to overcome your demonic corruption, Siron…?]

Siron paused to consider.

“If I had to pick one reason…”

[…Pick? You mean you don’t even know yourself?]

As S said, Siron didn’t know exactly why his demonic corruption had suddenly vanished. He only had vague guesses.

“Maybe it’s because I wanted to see how the youngest has grown. And I’m a little curious about the other children I never showed affection to. To see how the family is doing now.”

[This is insane… How could something like that explain you now? Just that?]

“Ha ha ha, if not that, then something else.”

[Siroooon!]

With a final scream filled with hatred, S’s voice faded away. Siron clicked his tongue as he watched S dissolve into particles.

“Weaker than Kial’s fragment. Now only Nirgand and Morganiel remain. Well done, everyone.”

Luna and the former Black Knights bowed their heads. Siron took a moment to appreciate the slightly brighter landscape of the Black Sea now that S was gone.

Then, as if something delightful had just happened, he turned around with a broad smile toward where Vanessa and Ozdok were.

“Father?”

“Ho… It seems the potential and fighting spirit I hoped for in my youth have finally borne fruit. The one who wandered the lowlands of the sword for so long.”

“Lord, I don’t understand what you mean.”

“A welcome visitor has come to see me.”

For a moment, Luna and the former Black Knights couldn’t grasp what he meant. Who could possibly come to this deepest, most dreadful land in the world?

A welcome visitor.

Of course, he wasn’t referring to Vanessa and Ozdok. Siron was sensing the presence of a Runkandel who had just arrived.

“Could it be… the youngest has come!?”

Siron didn’t answer, his gaze fixed steadily ahead. Luna and the former Black Knights quietly followed his line of sight.

The “welcome fellow” Siron had mentioned was now barreling toward him like a man possessed.

But Siron made no move to step closer or call out his name—he wouldn’t offer such kindness. To do so would diminish the struggle of the man who had fought his way here alone all this time.

Finally, the figure trudged up to Siron and dropped to one knee. From the moment he’d come into view, Luna and the former Black Knights had been too stunned to close their mouths.

“Huff, huff… my lord…” he gasped.

Siron bent down and helped him to his feet, replying warmly, “You’ve come a long way, Jed. At last, you’ve managed to move me.”