Chapter 925
Episode 230: Invasion and Assault (6)
No matter how many times Jin tried to summon the energy from his Radiant Heart, the result was always the same. For the first time since being recognized by the Pluto Clan, Jin experienced his energy completely vanishing.
Moments later, the Radiant Heart lost all its light and went pitch black.
‘Was my energy cut off the moment Vascala’s sword brushed my cheek?’
Jin composed himself with a calm expression, but inside, he was at a loss for words.
He was shocked to realize that the energy he had always believed to be purely his own was actually a power granted by the Pluto Clan. And Vascala had blocked it with such ease.
His comrades noticed something was wrong.
Losing his energy meant Jin could no longer wield his strongest sword. The variable factor created by the Pluto Sovereign Sword was completely shut down.
“…So you deliberately cut off my energy now. To make me let my guard down.”
“How does it feel to be an ordinary human again after so long?”
“Just because my energy disappears for a moment doesn’t mean I become someone else.”
Vascala sneered.
“We’ll see about that.”
Chiiak!
Dante’s strike grazed right in front of Vascala’s nose. At the same time, Hedo’s powerful thrust stabbed at Vascala’s back, but he had already turned and deflected it.
Murakan couldn’t find the time to unleash his Dark Arrival.
Black chains and violet spears extended from the replicated barrier, and Vascala’s own sword energy relentlessly kept Murakan in check.
‘Damn it…! I can’t properly support the kid like this. If this is how brainwashed that demon is now, what was he like before?’
On the surface, it looked like four were pressuring one, but in reality, the comrades felt the opposite. It was Vascala who maintained the constant pressure.
There was no opening.
The comrades gradually realized Vascala had no blind spots. Even when a rare gap appeared, none of their attacks succeeded, and Vascala relentlessly pierced through Jin’s defenses every time.
Jin felt as if he were dueling one-on-one. Every time he shifted his gaze to follow Vascala’s movements, his comrades were nowhere to be seen.
Like fighting someone in a dream.
His body grew heavier. Every time he faced Vascala’s murderous intent, it felt like dozens of snakes writhed inside him, ready to bite into his organs and tear through his skin.
‘Could Vascala’s sword also drain stamina? My breath is coming too fast…!’
Huff, huff! Each breath made his throat rough and ragged. It felt like his airway was blocked; his breathing was shallow, and an unpleasant metallic taste grated on his nerves.
A warrior who could normally fight for days on end using decisive techniques and secret arts was rapidly tiring. It felt like a disease he’d never encountered before was tormenting his body.
Vascala’s sword, piercing into his vision, moved much faster than before. In truth, the sword hadn’t sped up—it was Jin’s reaction time that had slowed.
“Ugh!”
Crunch!
Jin coughed up a mouthful of blood and bent over.
Reflux.
The aura inside his body trembled unstably. Even someone like Jin couldn’t hide his surprise. His body, which had overcome limits countless times before, was breaking down in such a short fight.
Then he realized why.
‘It’s the Radiant Heart…!’
The Radiant Heart wasn’t just a reservoir for his energy.
It was clearly an organ that made up part of Jin’s body. One of the two hearts that normally sustained him had completely stopped functioning, so the severe stamina drop was inevitable.
It was fortunate it only resulted in fatigue. If the Radiant Heart had been implanted to play a larger role in sustaining Jin’s life, the fight would have been over already.
“Still think that way? Even without the Radiant Heart, Jin Runkandel is still Jin Runkandel. Feel it—that’s your reality. When the power beyond your means disappears, you’re just a swordsman like any other.”
Thud!
Vascala’s thrust sent Jin flying far across the plain. Before he even hit the ground, spear-like demonic energy erupted from beneath him and behind.
The energy swept across Jin’s clothes and skin. Though there were no deep wounds, blood splattered everywhere, and with his depleted stamina, even that much bleeding was hard to ignore.
On top of that, the disorienting sensation from the Azure Sky Sword returned.
“A swordsman like any other.”
Jin spat out blood and switched swords.
Bradamante—the sword he usually used to channel spirit energy. But like Sigmund before, Bradamante couldn’t hold the spirit energy.
The energy briefly cloaked the blade before crumbling like old paper and scattering into the air.
‘…As expected, spirit energy is blocked too.’
He wasn’t as shocked as when the Radiant Heart failed. Besides, spirit energy didn’t directly affect his body like the Radiant Heart, so his stamina issues didn’t worsen.
But the reflux had already begun.
His comrades knew Jin needed time to recover from the reflux. They couldn’t let Vascala keep targeting him like this.
So, despite the risk of injury, they had to make a dangerous move—but Jin excluded Murakan.
“Murakan! Don’t! If you get cut by Vascala’s sword, your spirit energy will be restricted.”
Unlike usual, Murakan immediately followed Jin’s order.
Now was not the time to shout and insist he couldn’t hold back as a guardian dragon. If he lost his spirit energy, the battle would only get harder.
Besides, the sky showed more than just the partially destroyed Aylra’s shield and the shattered Talaris’s duel field.
Another rift.
A new rift was forming beside the one Vascala had escaped from. It was larger than any rift ever seen in Inse.
Demons would emerge from that rift.
Demons who would tear apart the citizens of the Holy Kingdom, kill those who tried to protect them, and steal what humanity fought to defend from Jito. Soon, even more would pour out from this new rift.
—It must be because of Jito’s Eye.
—Yes, Lord Quikantel. According to the information Biceps provided, the strongest demon lord in the Jinma realm is Vascala, presumed to be a Changsung, despite being fully brainwashed… Following him are Ridolos and Bideluce. Jito will surely order them to retrieve his Eye.
The alliance never expected Jito to send only Vascala to the Holy Kingdom. They anticipated the two demons rumored to be with Vascala and their forces would invade together.
For that reason, Murakan’s spirit energy had to remain intact. No one among the allies could more efficiently prevent the indiscriminate mass slaughter by the enemy than Murakan.
“Damn it! Dante, I’m counting on your physical strength!”
“Kaaaah!”
Dante instantly pushed his energy to the limit and unleashed ten beams of Heavenly Sky Slash.
Nine were blocked and neutralized by the demonic energy and the replicated Aylra’s spears. One spear grazed Dante’s side. Even as his flesh tore, Dante summoned an intangible sword wind once more to protect Jin.
Even Vascala couldn’t perfectly read the intangible sword wind. The last Heavenly Sky Slash, wrapped in the intangible wind, finally pierced Vascala’s back.
“Hah… hah…”
Dante felt dizzy as he dodged another incoming spear and confirmed the slash had landed squarely.
But the Heavenly Sky Slash didn’t penetrate Vascala’s back. His stance faltered briefly, and blood splattered from his back, but the wound wasn’t deep.
Meanwhile, Hedo charged at Vascala, sweeping over him with a massive wave of sword energy.
First, the sword wave swirled around Vascala like a storm. Debris and blood splattered from Vascala’s body, clouding his vision. Hedo seized the moment when Vascala’s sight was completely blocked and struck with his powerful thrust.
The impact shattered the sword wave and intangible sword wind in all directions, producing a deafening roar.
As Vascala’s vision cleared, Hedo met his crimson gaze. Vascala’s Vascala and the thrust crossed diagonally.
“You must have been proud of your strength all this time.”
“Ugh!”
“Lucky to be born with the power of the Sun God. Today, by killing you, I can also erase one chaos left by the old order.”
The power of the Sun God’s fragment was certainly divine, but it couldn’t be limited by Vascala’s power. Just as light cannot erase light.
Vascala frowned in displeasure—not because he couldn’t weaken Hedo’s strength with Vascala, but because Hedo dared to confront him head-on with the power of the Sun God he had been handed so easily.
Grrrrr…!
A primal contest of strength ensued. It didn’t take long for the outcome.
Hedo began to retreat.
The giant, who had never been pushed back in a strength contest, narrowed his shoulders and gritted his teeth, trembling. Sweat poured from his body, and every joint rattled.
“Khaaaak…!”
“I’ll shatter the power of the Sun God that hasn’t even awakened.”
If Hedo had held on any longer, his arms would have been crushed.
But the moment Hedo spotted the opening, he immediately pulled back and assumed a defensive stance. Naturally, Paelito seized the chance as soon as Hedo lost his balance, driving his sword toward Hedo’s neck.
Dante was already moving to assist Hedo, but Paelito was faster. Struggling to fend off Vaskala in his unstable position, Hedo’s stamina began to wane.
Just as Paelito sent the remaining energy flying far away and aimed to pierce Hedo’s heart—
Bzzzz…!
Suddenly, a ringing noise echoed in Paelito’s mind, forcing him to withdraw his sword.
It was as if he’d stared directly into the sun; his eyes burned with searing pain. Still, that agony wasn’t enough to make Paelito flinch.
What blocked him now was a legacy left by a legendary sorcerer who had once struck fear into Jin.
Chenmi’s Flash Cannon.
Before Paelito could react, Jin, having quelled the backlash, unleashed the Flash Cannon right before his eyes.
Paelito sneered in disbelief, summoning his dark energy as he pinpointed Jin’s position. Jin stood just ahead of Hedo, both caught in the blast.
“So if you’re not the teeth, then you’re the gums, huh, Jin Runkandel?”
Jin squared his shoulders and narrowed his eyes, steeling himself. He was ready to face the sword demon without relying on spirit energy or lightning magic.
“Paelito. I’m not just a swordsman—I’m Runkandel’s magic swordsman. So if you put it that way, this is no mere gum. This is my real set of teeth.”