Chapter 945
Episode 234: To Hell (5)
“Ridolos Trinak! I can hardly believe my ears. Have you, too, finally succumbed to Zito’s corruption? Have you fallen, just like Paelito?”
“Ha ha ha! Paelito, that foolish fool, became Zito’s dog out of his obsession with Sachiel. And because of that obsession, he even lost to Jin Runkandel. Don’t compare that pitiful wretch to me.”
Whoooosh!
Ridolos charged at Basset, swinging his greatsword. The gust of his blade sent corpses scattered across the ground flying and bursting apart.
Basset parried the blow, and at the same moment, Tilius and Misol attacked from both sides. But Ridolos neither dodged nor faltered; he stood firm, pressing Basset relentlessly. Though Tilius’s sword struck his side precisely, it barely pierced through, and Misol’s fist thundered against him only to bounce off uselessly.
“Ugh! So you’re not under Zito’s sway, but Keliak Jiple’s…!?”
“Well, I never imagined I’d one day serve beneath a human. But I saw potential in him.”
“Potential?”
“The real possibility of freeing this land from Zito’s grasp! Unlike Biceps, who chases empty dreams and ends up parasitizing the massive Inse forces when those dreams fail, Keliak is fundamentally different. He’s not only fighting for liberation but looking far beyond—to a future even greater.”
“You’re insane! You’re saying you abandoned all your comrades, with whom you fought for so long, for that reason?”
“You’re the insane ones, not me. Destroying the artificial sun—what do you hope to achieve? Even if you win, the Jinmakai will be nothing but a ruin, shrouded in darkness. No immortal can survive without a sun, Sir Basset. Keliak has a way to end Zito without the artificial sun.”
“Hah! So you’re telling us to become Keliak’s dogs right now?”
“No, you’re unnecessary in the new Jinmakai. I know exactly what kind of people you are—monsters who, despite your incompetence and hopelessness, can fight on for ten thousand years. So after Keliak liberates Jinmakai, you’ll surely oppose him. And just like the old Melka tribe, you won’t be easy to exterminate.”
“If Keliak takes control, it just means another Zito will rise in Jinmakai…!”
“That’s far better than the freedom you’d gain by destroying the artificial sun. Besides, even if he’s fused with a god, Keliak is still human. One day, his time will end, and then Jinmakai will truly enter a new era.”
As Ridolos spoke, Basset was steadily pushed backward.
Basset had been Ridolos’s mentor for quite some time. That’s why he could somewhat mitigate the vast difference in power and keep fighting, but only enough to buy time.
Including Misol and Tilius, they might pose a slight threat to Ridolos.
But Basset kept glancing back at the regular troops stationed far behind. Ridolos noticed and smiled slyly.
“Don’t worry. I won’t use the regular troops against you. There’s no reason to. After all, there’s some old loyalty between us.”
“Ridolos…!”
“But if they get caught in the crossfire and die, that’s unavoidable. So fight while protecting them as best you can. It’s ironic, isn’t it? You hesitate to plunge the entire Jinmakai into darkness by destroying the artificial sun, yet you’re so desperate to protect a mere hundred thousand non-combatants.”
Swoosh! Crack!
Ridolos swung his greatsword like a club, sending Basset flying. Meanwhile, Misol landed a punch on Ridolos’s back, but Ridolos turned and caught the blow with his horn.
“Ugh!”
“Misol, you adorable fool. Do you think you can kill me with that? You’ll just break your own fist.”
“You bastard! How could you betray us like this? You’re not possessed by Simma, nor brainwashed!”
“What drives me is the conviction to protect Jinmakai. Until now, Biceps was the best I could do. But now, for the greater good, I’m sacrificing the few. Understand that.”
“Hah! The day Keliak Jiple rules Jinmakai will never come. Even if it does, he’s one of Jin Runkandel’s greatest enemies. If Jin Runkandel and Keliak fight, Jinmakai will become a battlefield once again!”
Ridolos tilted his head in disbelief.
“What nonsense, Misol. You used to be clever, but your tone is strange—have you gone mad? How could Jin Runkandel fight Keliak Jiple?”
“What did you say?”
“Zito, empowered by the artificial sun, is a monster even Paelito at his peak couldn’t handle. How could that man possibly win? Jin Runkandel dies today. So there’s no need to worry about Jinmakai becoming a battlefield. Just die peacefully.”
“I won’t die! Not by your hand, never!”
While Misol bought some time, Basset approached Tilius and gave orders.
“Protect Silkia at all costs, Tilius. If there’s absolutely no way, then take Silkia and escape with you and Misol.”
[So far, we haven’t encountered a single real enemy.]
Jin and his group had already passed the An family’s fortress that Orgal mentioned and were heading toward Zito’s lair.
Nearly a full day had passed since entering Hell, yet they hadn’t fought once.
They occasionally encountered demon armies driven mad by mind control, but they didn’t engage. There was no point in senseless slaughter.
Even if those demons had united against Jin, it wouldn’t have mattered—the gap was just too vast.
Instead, Jin spread small blessings of regeneration over the demon corpses, like lighting a fire on their graves.
Even if Jin began fighting Zito, that light would remain, serving as a beacon for any forces that followed.
“A bad sign. It means an entire world is being mercilessly ravaged by Zito.”
Jin felt the constant presence of death all around, and the pain it generated was flowing straight to Zito.
Suddenly, he thought that by now, someone from Biceps should have appeared. The last message from Biceps said they would send someone once Jin entered Hell.
“I don’t think Biceps are like the others, controlled by Zito and killing each other.”
“I agree, Jin. Biceps are the only group in Jinmakai not brainwashed by Zito.”
“Until now, I thought they avoided brainwashing because they always managed to escape and had luck on their side. But now, I feel they might have some way to resist mind control or brainwashing.”
“If that’s true, and they haven’t turned into berserkers like the others, then the only reason they haven’t appeared to give us information is because something’s wrong.”
“Exactly, Valeria. Something’s happened over there.”
[Could they have betrayed us?]
Jin shook his head at Veil’s question.
“I can’t rule it out entirely, but from what I’ve seen, they’re not the type. If they wanted to betray us, they’d have had better chances.”
[Hmm, then what do we do? They were supposed to give us detailed info on how to kill Zito here in Hell.]
“We find them. And if they’re in trouble, we help.”
[Ah, I have a feeling Murakan will be the one stuck with that annoying task.]
Jin nodded.
“You’re the only one who can go.”
[We have no info on Biceps’ hideout, and barely know Jinmakai’s geography. Where exactly am I supposed to go? I might as well be searching for a needle in a desert.]
“Then all three of you go.”
Jin pointed ahead.
Far off, the entrance to Zito’s lair came into view—a massive circular dimensional gate. Just hovering in the air, it sucked in everything around it.
A demon squad, driven mad by mind control, wandered near and was pulled into the vortex like a whirlpool.
Will you be okay alone?
Murakan no longer asked that question like before. The plague gods sealed in Vaskala were no match for Jin. Aside from Keliak’s forces, the only being in this vast Jinmakai who could threaten Jin was Zito.
[Alright, understood. What’s the time limit?]
“Exactly 24 hours from now. Return within that time, whether you find Biceps or not. We’ll decide what to do next once you’re back.”
[And you? Will you stay here, deal with those sealed in Vaskala, and wait for us?]
“Yes. I plan to meditate while I wait.”
[…Meditate?]
The sudden word made the group turn to look at Jin and then at each other.
“Since I’m about to fight a god, I need to prepare myself once more before the final battle. I heard that Ban, my half-brother, always meditated before fighting some of the strongest gods during the great war.”
[If the strongest mortal recognized by Ayura says so, then it’s the right thing to do.]
“And there’s a new sword technique I want to master. I’ve wanted to learn it since the first time I saw it, but I never dared try to replicate it until I became a Starborn.”
[Oh? What sword is it? The Sword of the Half-God?]
Jin smiled and shook his head.
“No, it’s Temar’s sword.”
Murakan’s eyes widened.
[You don’t mean the Sun-Splitter, do you?]
Sun-Splitting, the secret technique of the Runcandel Demon Sword as depicted in Kaytam’s painting.
According to the records within the painting, Solderet once said that Sun-Splitting was a blade so sharp that it could even cut through itself.
Jin believed that assessment was spot on.
A perfected Sun-Splitting would be capable of killing every immortal in existence.
“The name ‘Sun-Splitting’… maybe it has something to do with the Sun God,” Jin mused, locking eyes with Murakan.
“It might bring back bad memories for you, but it’s necessary. And as a warrior, I can’t deny it’s tempting,” Jin said.
[Bad memories? Hah! Forget about that. That sword is Temar’s most precious legacy anyway. It’s a fitting weapon for a kid like you.]
“I appreciate you saying that.”
[But kid, like I told you before, when it comes to pure potential with the sword, Temar still has the edge over you. Even if you’ve gained the Insight of Creation, a single day of meditation won’t be enough to master it. Temar pushed himself hard just to wield it.]
Jin nodded, a sly smile spreading across his face.
“You’re right, it’ll take a long time to master it—maybe I’ll never fully complete it. But for now, I just need to be able to cut through Jito. I have a feeling that much is within reach. Temar may have forced himself to use the sword before becoming a Creator, but I’m not like him.”