CHAPTER 567

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'What is this...!'

No matter where he looked, the surroundings were filled with oppressive darkness.

The sharp roar that occurred when the Great ice field was broken, the voices of those who shouted in response to the sudden change, and the sound of debris, sword, and magic clashing—none of it could be heard.

Jin couldn't hear anything. The sense of being separated from the world without any time to recognize or resist made him nervous, but all he felt was the unique empty energy of this black space.

 Jin even felt the illusion that he had died, but he held onto his composure.

'It looks like I was dragged into Glyek's subspace.'

Jin raised his hand and looked at his sword. The only thing that did not lose its original color in the pitch darkness was Jin's body and his belongings.

Jin had entered a space almost similar to this before.

'It's almost identical to Solderet's subspace. Certainly, there is a strong connection between shadow force and the chaos energy that I do not know. It's uncomfortably similar.'

The darkness formed by Glyek resembled a subspace of shadows. It could be said that everything was the same except for one thing.

Does the space have favor or hostility toward him?

In the subspace of Solderet, there was a strangely unfamiliar and comfortable feeling, but this darkness was full of indescribably huge hostility.

Moreover, this hostility wasn't content with merely staring at Jin.

Jin began to feel that some invisible, eerie, cold energy was penetrating his whole body.

"Ugh!"

The frozen blade felt like it was cutting through his flesh and piercing bones.

Jin's fist was reflexively shrunk and a groan escaped from his clenched teeth.

Chaos.

What tormented Jin was the chaos imbued with Glyek's will.

This power surpassed the various types of physical and mental pain Jin had endured so far.

If it weren't for his robust mental fortitude, honed through countless challenges and trials, Jin wouldn't have lasted more than five minutes and would have collapsed.

"Huuk, Kahaak...."

Jin couldn't help but be terrified. It was because there were no allies who could help him in this dark space, and he did not think he could escape this place alone.

Emotions that he had never experienced even when dealing with the imperial army as well as the great army of Zipfel were trying to dominate Jin.

'Damn it, my hand…!'

Suddenly, Jin took a step back, feeling a chill down his spine.

It was because he saw his hand holding the sword, and the tip of his fingers was tainted black by the chaos.

He could immediately recognize things that he had never experienced. The fact that this terrible discoloration was the result of being eroded by chaos.

A shiver ran down his spine, and it felt like his blood was turning cold.

As he looked closely, he could see that the chaos energy that dyed his index finger was getting bigger and bigger like a creeping caterpillar.

In addition, erosion did not only begin at the fingertips.

The places where the pain was particularly intense, like the fingers, were all points where the erosion was taking place.

 What would happen when the encroachment was over?

Jin intuitively came to a conclusion that he would become part of Glyek. Just like Dante did.

He had to overcome this.

'It's only different in size and depth, but it is not fundamentally different from the despair I've always overcome. I will somehow prevent encroachment and find a way out of here.'

Jin raised his head and struggled to get up.

But he fell down as soon as he took a step, and it happened five times in a row. Jin concluded that walking in this condition was impossible.

Just as no one could walk with severed legs, Jin, in his current state, couldn't move forward. He couldn't resist with willpower alone.

So Jin sat down. He didn't sit down, but sat down to focus.

Shadow force release.

First of all, it seemed that he had to push the chaos that spread through his body with it. Shadows trapped in chaos were rising along with Jin's shadow force release.

Fortunately, it worked. The released shadow force was washing away the chaos like clear water.

There was hope. For those who did not have the power of genesis knight, only the shadow contractor could glimpse the possibility of escape in this way in the subspace of Glyek.

But there were two problems.

The first was that he could not release his shadow force as stably as usual due to the pain. It was necessary to pour it like a waterfall to completely end the erosion, but the power of the shadows was only reacting weakly.

The second was another phenomenon that occurred as soon as the shadow force release began. 

The chaos that has not been pushed out was trying to 'mix' with the shadow force. It was like a water current reverting to its source.

'There's nothing easy in this damn war and struggle from the beginning.'

Shadow force mixed with chaos was getting out of Jin's control.

Moreover, it was getting stronger. Except for the Solderet's will that manifested during the first battle, Jin had never seen the shadow force more intensely fluctuating than now.

It was like when the shadow force was mixed with aura and mana to strengthen them. It was just difficult to control, like an enraged beast.

The shadow force release was weak, and the shadows mixed with chaos were explosive.

Even if it was dangerous, there was no reason not to use it.

'Perhaps this is another trap of Glyek, but there is no other option. I can slow down the encroachment only with the pure shadow force release.'

Jin's choice was nothing more than throwing himself into the turbulent current without knowing where it was flowing.

But for some reason, he felt confident. An attribute of chaos that enhances shadow force.

It occurred to him that this might also be the arrangement of the existence that created the principle. Perhaps that was the will of God, Solderet.

I have to make this power mine.

Shadow force started to move according to Jin's will.

Instead of resisting chaos just vaguely to survive, the flow was speeding up when the milestone of "struggle" was created.

Jin suppressed the shadow force that had become too rough, and grabbed onto the lumps that had only grown stronger.

Blood flowed nonstop due the backlash of chaos, and sometimes his consciousness was blurred, but Jin was confident.

The fact that his body was trampled on by pain was getting better.

No, it wasn't just that. It was unstable, but a power beyond his limits seemed to burst out at any moment.

Around that time, Jin noticed that another power within him, not the shadow force, was reacting to the chaos.

Blood.

The only Runcandel who had gone beyond recognition and made a part of his human physical essence akin to his brethren, the blood of the battle god was driving the chaos out fiercely.

'It seems that you are not the only one allowed to devour, Glyek!'

Zzzzzzz..…!

Lightning bolts mingled between shadow force and chaos. As if Vahn's blood wasn't afraid of encroachment, rather, it was pulling all the chaos that was caught into the illuminating heart.

Soon, Jin stood up and straightened his body.

His shoulders were heavy, as if he was still trapped in the water, but the pain subsided as he walked slowly.

Every time he moved forward, the shadow force, which was mixed with chaos, fluctuated and returned to its place.

When he took seven steps like that, Jin could feel that he had overcome the first trail of this subspace.

The encroachment stopped, and Jin was no longer in pain.

The chaos that had run so wildly, mixed with shadow force, twitched faintly like a telegraph wire.

And his body, which had been exhausted from the long battle, was now full of stronger force than before the war began. To the point where Jin feels like there's nothing in the world that he can't cut.

'Did I achieve temporary growth by overcoming chaos? Or... Is it some kind of side effect?'

Jin couldn't figure it out right away.

Seeing traces of discoloration throughout his body, it was clear that there would be consequences regardless of which path he had taken.

Jin also realized that his fighting spirit was burning too much. It was the opposite of his intention to remain as calm as possible.

'It's a dangerous power if it can't be completely mine. Since the encroachment on my body has stopped, it seems that it is trying to destroy my mind this time.'

Jin judged that the chaos was trying to erode his body first but now it was targeting his mind. Just like his youngest sister Yona had experienced.

However, he couldn't guarantee that he could overcome it. Neither the shadow force release nor blood of battle god could directly protect his mind.

Jin had to find a way out while maintaining as much rationality as possible.

The outside situation was one of two things. Either everyone trying to save Jin, or fighting Glyek.

Jin was worried, but he tried not to let it preoccupy him.

He couldn't afford to just suppress the fighting spirit and killing intent that was rising like crazy.

It was still dark ahead, and all he could hear was the sound of his own breathing and the small noise caused by the lightning spreading from battle god blood.

He swung around the Bradamante stained in shadow force. Despite his strong conviction that nothing could resist it, the subspace showed no reaction.

No matter how many times he tried, there was only one choice for Jin. He just has to walk until something else comes along.

And Jin faced something different from the darkness faster than expected in the vast subspace.

'A person...!?'

It looked cloudy and dark, but he could see the shape of a person crouching on the other side of the darkness in the distance.

Jin rushed towards the figure, and soon he could identify who it was.

"Sir Ron!"

Jin didn't think that someone else would have been caught in this subspace. In particular Ron who was the furthest away from him.

'Then other people...!'

The moment Jin thought that far.

Ron raised his head and looked at him. As soon as their eyes met, Jin couldn't help but abruptly stop walking.

Crazy hostility.

The intense and deep-seated hatred emanating from Ron was as palpable as the resentment Jin first felt from Glyek, and it was directed straight at him.

"Sir Ron! I am Jin Runcandel. You may not recognize me..."

"Why."

Ron interrupted Jin.

At that moment, Jin noticed that Ron's eyes were as black as oil. Because Ron was encroached by the chaos that had been crushing Jin before.

Ron got up and said.

"Why is this monster targeting you...… Why, why did my grandson become his prey instead of you? Tell me why my grandson was sacrificed and not you...…."

When Ron finished speaking, the blackened blade of Rashid was already at Jin's throat.