Chapter 927
Episode 230: Invasion and Assault (8)
Flare…!
The rune inscribed on Jin’s body, the mark of Sara, blazed to life as crimson flames surged upward.
Though the overwhelming power wasn’t fully unleashed, the fierce blaze instantly incinerated the dark energy that had swarmed Jin.
Even with his powers suppressed, Jin was still Jin—and fire was still fire.
The flames inherited from the Flame Emperor shone brighter than ever before.
Clutching the Flash Cannon in his left hand alongside the blazing flames, Jin charged at Paelito.
Even if he was eventually pushed back, he had to strike first.
Seizing even the slightest advantage was the only way to create an opening.
Only then could he buy more time to survive.
Trusting his body’s instincts and muscle memory, Jin resumed the fight.
The blade wrapped in fire sliced through the violet waves of dark energy.
Paelito knocked Bradamante downward, but before Jin’s sword could hit the ground, he spun his body to continue the assault.
Their two swords crossed in a thunderous clash.
In that split second, Jin caught the scent of blood from Paelito.
“Blood… When he unleashed that massive sword energy that shattered Ayula’s shield, he must have been wounded too. Probably just a minor backlash.”
It wasn’t human blood, but the thick, distinctive scent of a demon’s—freshly spilled.
Since Paelito was the only demon fighting on the Bellium Plains, it had to be his.
That injury hadn’t dulled Paelito’s swordsmanship; it was merely a tiny crack in his iron fortress.
But to Jin, that fact was a glimmer of hope.
“There could be many reasons for the backlash. Using excessive power while still weakened from brainwashing, the inner turmoil from Sakiel’s death, and… demonification.”
Demonification.
The inevitable fate of those who ascend to Changsung.
Paelito’s current backlash and injury were likely symptoms of this demonification.
Emotions accelerate demonification.
Hatred, fear, attachment, obsession… any of these feelings could turn a Changsung into a monster.
“Paelito is falling into the abyss of his mind…!”
The moment Jin realized this, a thought struck him.
The only way Paelito would die now was if he self-destructed, consumed by his own madness.
They just had to hold on until Paelito destroyed himself.
“Jin!”
At last, Dante and Hedo broke through Paelito’s dark energy and reached the heart of the battlefield.
Their four swords clashed relentlessly, sparks flying.
But every drop of blood that splattered and dissolved into the air was red.
While the three couldn’t land a single strike on Paelito, Vaskala repeatedly slashed past them.
Persistent.
The ones who killed Sakiel kept swinging their swords relentlessly.
That fact unsettled Paelito’s mind.
“How many times have others saved you from danger?”
“Countless.”
“You’re probably expecting the same this time.”
Flare…!
Jin fired the Flash Cannon, stabbing Paelito’s waist.
“Ugh!”
He was sure he’d triggered the Flash Cannon, but the moment Jin reached out, Paelito had already grabbed his left fist.
Crack!
Jin’s left hand, holding the Flash Cannon, was crushed entirely.
If Jin had hesitated even a moment to pull back, his arm would have been torn off.
Instead of retreating, Jin pressed closer, driving Bradamante into Paelito’s neck.
Paelito abandoned Jin’s arm and shifted his stance. Bradamante grazed Paelito’s cheek.
At the same time, Dante and Hedo each left shallow cuts on his thigh and side, but compared to the price Jin paid with his left hand, those wounds were insignificant.
Magic power leaked through Jin’s crushed fingers, dripping from the shattered Flash Cannon.
Without even glancing at it, Jin summoned new magic into his left hand.
He only needed to grip his sword with both hands when using freezing magic to lock the hilt in place; otherwise, he didn’t require a strong grip to cast spells.
Of course, it wasn’t without pain, but it was fortunate that Paelito’s best strike had been limited to Jin’s left hand.
Had he been just a hand’s breadth closer, it would have been his heart.
“But not today. Today, you will die by my hand. I will ravage your body piece by piece… and finally pierce your heart.”
Sword Demon Style Secret Technique: Celestial Annihilation Slash, Form Two.
The group’s eyes widened.
Just like before, Paelito crouched and unleashed a burst of energy.
He seemed momentarily vulnerable, but blades of dark energy shot out like knives in every direction, forcing the group to retreat.
But this time, the Celestial Annihilation Slash wasn’t aimed at the sky.
They expected Paelito to direct it straight at Jin’s position. His stance made that clear.
When releasing such immense power all at once, even a Changsung couldn’t easily change the predetermined path.
Especially with Paelito’s mind unraveling, it was even less likely.
“Jiiin!”
Dante and Hedo hurriedly fired sword energy, trying to disrupt the slash’s trajectory.
But in the next moment, Jin realized.
“He’s not aiming at me… No!”
Paelito had used a small trick.
Though his stance faced Jin, he never intended to strike him.
The Celestial Annihilation Slash was aimed at Hedo.
Whoosh! Beep…!
Paelito’s energy exploded, lifting Jin and his comrades into the air.
A piercing ringing filled their heads, and amid layers of shockwaves, the group scattered in an instant.
Lord Hedo! Lord Hedo…!
No matter how much they shouted, no response came.
Their throats felt clogged with water, and darkness swallowed their vision.
Their bodies felt like sinking into a swamp.
Once again, Jin and his comrades lost consciousness.
When they came to, the first thing Jin and Dante saw was the endless trail of the Celestial Annihilation Slash stretching like a horizon.
If the first form had torn the sky with two strikes, the second form had cleaved the Bellium Plains in half with a single slash.
Not only the plains but everything in a straight line behind it—objects, terrain, life—were split in two.
The grotesquely torn earth no longer resembled a plain.
It had become a deep, endless ravine, sliced sharply at an angle.
From within, the magic and lava contained in the slash erupted, mixing and spewing forth.
They shot up to the sky and scattered in all directions, and the weakened ground beneath couldn’t bear the weight, crumbling helplessly.
And amidst that horrific scene, there was no sign of Hedo.
No trace at all.
No voice, no sign of his powerful presence.
They had no choice but to assume the Celestial Annihilation Slash had swallowed him whole.
“You all clearly didn’t listen. I said I’d take your heart last. Dying scattered like dust is far too easy.”
Jin forced himself to focus.
He and Dante wiped away the rising unease in their hearts and pointed their swords at Paelito.
“Oh? You think he’s not dead because you haven’t seen the body? Keep denying it then. That suits me just fine.”
Paelito smiled.
Unlike right after unleashing the Celestial Annihilation Slash, he showed no signs of backlash.
Whether he was forcing it down or truly free of it, Jin and Dante couldn’t tell.
“Deciding how to kill you has made me feel much better, Jin Runkandel.”
Jin ignited the flames again.
He judged that without strengthening his body with the burning flames, he couldn’t continue the fight properly.
But the accumulated damage was a problem.
Jin wasn’t immortal.
He wasn’t invincible, nor stronger than Paelito. With his spiritual and lightning powers blocked, the gap only widened.
Pushing himself to the limit against a clearly stronger opponent naturally came with side effects. His magic power was starting to backfire.
Blood filled his mouth and nose.
Though the burning flames’ power remained as strong as before, it wouldn’t be surprising if his magic release shattered at any moment.
Dante stood beside Jin.
It was pointless for Dante to keep harassing Paelito’s flanks now.
They had to endure the fight together.
“Jin, I can buy us some time, but I can’t tell you to run. You know why—it’s impossible now. We’re both pretty beaten up.”
“And I don’t want that either. If I wanted to prepare for death, I wouldn’t have sent Murakan in the first place.”
Fighting spirit and determination.
That was the only thing that matched Paelito’s strength.
Suddenly, Dante felt something strange emanating from Jin’s sweat-drenched face—a transcendent aura, as if his grandfather had reached Changsung that day.
In truth, Jin didn’t possess such an aura now.
But giants of the past—Siron, Ron, Thalaris, Keliak—had all recognized one shared potential in Luna and the rising star Jin Runkandel.
Luna and Jin Runkandel were warriors who could defeat anyone in the world, no matter how strong.
What Dante sensed faintly now was that very potential, though he couldn’t fully grasp it.
“Dante, to the left. Lord Hedo isn’t dead.”
Jin thought Dante had lost focus because of Lord Hedo.
Dante nodded and parried the sword strike that Faelito launched from the right.
“I believe that too. But it was from the right side,” he said.
“I just wanted to make sure you were with it. You suddenly went blank, which isn’t like you,” Jin replied.
No matter where they looked, all they could see was miasma and molten lava. Back to back, the two tried to anticipate the direction Faelito would charge from.
They couldn’t fend off all the miasma swarming in like poison.
If they swung their swords to push it back, Faelito would take that moment to strike directly, so they had to rely on their shields to block those attacks.
‘…Suddenly, the flow of the miasma is shifting, almost like it’s forming a magic circle.’
Jin noticed it immediately.
“Get out of the shield’s range!”
The moment Jin shouted, the miasma rapidly spread over their shields, forming a magic circle.
From what they could glimpse, the circle belonged to the dark realm.
Runes symbolizing ‘curse’ glowed with a deep purple hue.
They managed to break free from the shield before the curse fully took shape, but at the last second, the left shoulder and right ankle of each were caught in the wave of the curse.
The curse was called ‘Bisaro’s Mockery.’ Its effect: forced aging of the target.
For Jin, it was the first time since his rebirth that he felt a curse creeping into his body.