CHAPTER 694

[T.L: punisher87]

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'Joshua? I didn't expect that asshole to show up here.'

Jin narrowed his eyes.

As the chaos subspace unfolded and he heard Joshua's voice, Jin felt more annoyance than danger.

It was like suddenly having a cockroach jump out from under your feet—not threatening at all but incredibly unpleasant, making your teeth grind.

"It has been a while, although I can't say I'm particularly glad to see you. Why is someone who should be in an underground prison here?"

[You're asking something obvious. Isn't it because I received forgiveness from Mother? You probably weren't unaware that I got out.]

Jin chuckled at his words.

"Forgiveness... Rosa is not that forgiving of a person. You still don't know Rosa. From that woman, you don't receive forgiveness, you earn recognition. Tell me, Joshua, how was life in prison? Since Rosa took you out of prison, it must mean you had some growth."

Shak!

Somewhere, Yona's sword appeared and disappeared, slicing through Owal's sleeve. Yona continued to hover around the three of them like a ghost, extending her sword.

[Yes, it was meaningful. I learned a lot thanks to you.]

"Oh, really? In my eyes, you just seem even more of a fool."

[You still speak roughly, little brother.]

"I've never had a brother like you."

[You can't deny that we share the same blood. We were born on the same battleship, but our positions are different, aren't they?]

Hedo and Owl sensed that Jin was losing his composure as soon as Joshua appeared.

However, instead of feeling anxious, they felt relieved.

That level of man wouldn't let emotions cloud his judgment, so the newly arrived second flagbearer seemed to be nothing more than a target to be cautious of in Jin's eyes.

"Hah... Joshua, I've never even imagined you showing up like this."

[What did you imagine then?]

"If you're asking if I hoped for you to rot away in that underground prison, then yes, of course. I did think it would be best if you ended your miserable existence there..."

[But that wish didn't come true.]

"Don't interrupt, Joshua. This is the last moment I consider you a human and have a conversation with you. So listen carefully, you piece of garbage."

Jin glared at a point in the curtain as if to tear it apart.

"On one hand, I hoped that you would gain true enlightenment there and come back to challenge me. I wanted you to break free from Rosa's embrace and finally become a worthy opponent. I felt the same way, and so did elder brother Diphus. Why? Why do you think that is?"

[If that was truly your wish, then it has already been fulfilled. I'm standing in front of you now.]

"You're in front of me?"

Jin smiled and looked around.

"Where the hell are you, anyway? Can you really say that you're standing in front of me, hiding like a mold behind elder sister Yona while only your voice is present? I don't know if you're proud of what you learned in prison and blabbering about it, but you're the same as ever. You're the same Joshua!"

Chwang!

Hedo blocked Yona's blade that had fallen towards Jin. Jin didn't even look away.

"I wouldn't care even if elder brother Diphus and I tore you to pieces and threw you away in the street but I hoped you came back stronger. But it was meaningless. To think that the mortal enemy who plotted against us ended up so empty-handed? And not because of my hand, but because of one word from Rosa. What the hell did we fight you so hard for?"

[Whether or not I'm the same as back then, you'll find out again from now on. It seems you've become more impatient than my memories.]

"I'll correct that you're not the same person as back then. In fact, you've become even more worthless than before. The fact that you think I fell into your trap and you are still optimistic is proof of that. Acting as if the power given by Rosa and the Prophet is completely your own! How do you think you can hold me in such a trap?"

Jin was surrounded by the blue flames of Bradamante.

"You stupid bastard... if you had just come alone and requested a battle to settle things even if you knew you would lose, I would have respected that. Even if your physical body was in a state where you couldn't wield a sword because of the underground prison, and even if you couldn't even muster the power of a 1-Star, I would have treated you as a worthy opponent."

But you still didn't realize anything.

As Jin continued his words in a calm voice, Joshua remained silent for a while. Unbeknownst to him, he was recalling a story he had heard from Rosa in the past.

-You are not dead yet. And I look forward, not only to the fulfillment of the prophecy, but also the struggle that will shatter it. Your younger brother, Jin. It seems unlikely that a child's struggle won't be unable to shatter the prophecy. No matter how absolute it may be.

-If there ever comes a day when your prophecy leads you to the world of true struggle from this underground prison, and if you can withstand that world. I will bring you back to the surface. Of course... As always, your prophecy will probably disappoint me once again. Just as you always have.

Even then, Jin never forgot about the struggle, and Joshua still remained in the same place.

Joshua still hadn't realized that.

That's why Jin found it difficult to gauge the reason Rosa had started using Joshua again.

In fact, an evil god doesn't even need a knight like Padler, so why is it entrusting the job to such a trivial thing?

'There must be a reason, but I really don't know. It can't be a mere whim.'

In the midst of the stillness, occasionally Yona's sword would pass through the group without any effect.

"In the end, because you couldn't stand alone... know that you were never acknowledged by Father, Rosa, or even me, Joshua. This is the last bit of patience I have in treating you as a human. That's it."

When Jin faced Bale, a new magic sword technique achieved solely by himself, the sword pointed to a spot within the shroud of chaos.

Then, as if melting ice on a fire, the shroud being pointed at peeled away to reveal the appearance of fake Yonas that had been hiding.

There were a total of seven fakes, including the real one, aiming for the group in the space beyond.

[...You've mastered a peculiar sword technique.]

"If I were you, Second Flagbearer, I wouldn't be able to keep a straight face. No matter how damaged you are, weren't you also a knight? Right now, Jin is showing you an realm that you can never reach. So be grateful."

[Shut up, tower keeper!]

As soon as the fakes appeared, they hid their bodies again, and a new dimensional portal opened from the spot where they disappeared.

From that dimensional portal, monsters enhanced by chaos poured out. Hedo recognized that they were originally demonic creatures that originally belonged in the Black Sea.

Around that time, Joshua had already fallen into the intuition that his plan would fail.

It was because the party was not shaken at all even when they saw Yonas and the monsters of the inner cores pouring out in piles.

The three of them seemed unfazed by the situation.

Especially Jin, who had personally experienced the strength of figures like Padler and Lionel, as well as the divine power of Bale and the sinister power of Rosa.

Such a petty trick didn't even faze him.

"So, is this all you prepared for? Elder sister, the fakes, and the horde of inner core monsters?"

Slash!

Jin cut the throat of one of the fakes that rushed toward him. The fake approached Jin but couldn't swing its sword properly due to the flames spreading from Bradamante.

At that moment, Joshua looked back and forth between Jin and the dead Yona with a perplexed expression.

According to Joshua's thinking, Jin should never kill the Yonas.

[Are you also walking the path beyond dominance? Killing Yonas without any hesitation.]

"You speak as if you are walking on an evil path like Rosa. Of course, you are not walking on the path of evil, let alone dominance, it's just a miscellaneous path. Do you think I will kill elder sister Yona? I killed her because she was a fake."

Jin's ability to distinguish between the real and the fake in an instant was not part of Joshua's calculations. 

In fact, Joshua did not come here today with the intention of eliminating Jin.

He had come to witness Jin's desperate struggle, where Jin would eventually be forced to kill all the Yonas in order to survive, plunging into hatred and despair. He believed that such immense despair, characteristic of a special existence like Jin, was the crucial element that Rosa needed most at this moment.

Therefore, Joshua trembled with a sudden sense of suffocation. He felt the anxiety of impending failure, the fear of disappointing his mother once again.

Of course, Jin saw through Joshua's inner turmoil as clearly as the palm of his hand. Yet, it did not bring him any joy, just as one would not feel a sense of victory over a worm.

"Come to think of it, you were also involved with Airan Vermont and attempted to assassinate Dante. I knew in advance, which led to your failure then, and it's the same now. Looking back, you have never defeated me."

[But I see that you, as well as Airan Vermont, are still alive.]

Jin was reading the flow of chaos that indicated the opening of a dimensional portal. He intended to track that flow and find the hidden space where Joshua was hiding.

"Do you take pride in that? You're quite well hidden, it seems to be outside the forest. If you want to put an end to this disgraceful act, stay right there. I will come after I finish up here."

Of course, Jin did not expect Joshua to obediently wait for his arrival.

Regardless, cleaning up the remaining six impostors, the real Yona, and the inner core monsters would take considerable time.

The problem was not just disposing of everyone except the real Yona. They had to be completely eliminated to prevent any casualties if they managed to escape or cause harm in the surrounding area.

So, Jin thought of sending someone else to Joshua.

Crack-!

A crack suddenly split the upper part of the barrier, and a golden aura burst through. It was Bale, tearing the barrier from the outside.

[Ah-oh! I'm so annoyed. Hey, Jin, can't I just wipe out those things? Except for your sisters.]

"You have other things to do, Bale."

[But can't I just take care of those things? It would help relieve some stress.]

"No. Instead, I'll give you someone to kill. Go outside the forest and find Joshua."

[Who is that?]

"The one who created this barrier. He should be somewhere around twelve o'clock outside the forest. Tear him apart as many times as it takes, even if he can regenerate or resurrect. That should be a decent challenge, right?"

As Bale hesitated, Hedo spoke up.

"Why hesitate, Bale? Go right away before he can escape."

[Tch... Fine, I got it.]

Once Bale left, Jin fired a signal flare to rally the troops.

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