CHAPTER 631

[T.L: punisher87]

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Approximately five hundred aura disruptors. 

Over the past two and a half years, Qwaul had raised the performance of the disruptors and related artifacts to near the limit, and done numerous tests before that.

So far, none of Jin's companions had been able to win against five hundred disruptors.

In the first place, there was no need to go up to 500, and even Valkas and Cuicantelle could not use their aura properly while dealing with more than 200 disruptors.

But now Jin was not affected by the disruptors.

Rather, as soon as the disruptors were deployed, Jin released tremendous aura and even covered all the people waiting outside the battlefield with new protective shields.

Just like how Ron Hairan protected people from chaos in the war of the Sword Emperor Castle.

'Ignoring all disruptors and granting individual shields to hundreds of people is something that cannot be accomplished solely with an aura of over 10-star...… It's not within human capabilities. You've returned as a monster, Jin.'

Cuicantelle involuntarily swallowed dry saliva.

Even for her, who remembered Murakan's prime, the martial arts that Jin shows now was shocking enough. 

In a way, she even felt that Jin had already become more terrifying than Murakan back then.

At this rate of growth, even battle prowess would soon reach equal to Murakan, but the judgment and insight had never truly belonged to the young human.

Puzz-!

Suddenly, a blue radiance spread across the battlefield. After the battle began, Smarion's energy, which had been exceeding Jin's, was being eaten up by the aura and lightning energy.

[I'm being treated as nothing more than a mere beast. Is this not a fight but a hunt for you?]

Smarion showed displeasure and fired his sword energy toward Jin's companions.

However, the sword energy seemed to disintegrate in the air before reaching the shields.

It was offset by the energy of Jin that spread in layers.

"It would be wise to focus on me. Attempts to threaten me through those outside will only work against you."

Smarion narrowed his eyes. 

Now, Jin couldn't see the composure that Smarion had shown in the beginning, while Jin had a calm face like the first time.

What Jin said was true. Taking his companions as hostages in a state where he couldn't handle Jin properly right now was an effective method only until he "arrived at Ghost Castle."

Jin wondered why Smarion hadn't done that. It was not a sufficient explanation to say that he only had the desire to fight Chiron or that type of human.

'Maybe it's the result of Smarion resisting demonic nature. That's why my companions are not dead by the time I arrive.'

It wasn't a situation where Jin could have a calm conversation about him.

Whether his companions are unharmed is the result of Smarion's resistance to demonic nature or not. There was no change in the fact that Jin had to subjugate him.

Even if it was the former, it would mean that Smarion's last humanity, which remained in demonic nature, was desperately desired.

[It seems I've underestimated you after being absent from the world for so long.]

Squeak-!

An afterimage was left where Jin had stood. At the same time, Smarion's twin swords broke again, and he punched Jin's sword, which was penetrating into his chest, with his bare fist.

A deafening clang resounded from the clash between Bradamante and Smarion's fist.

Others trembled at the powerful shock waves transmitted through the guardian brethren, the dragon fire shield, the divine power of time, and various protective shields.

As they began to speed up the battle, the scars on Smarion's body increased rapidly. Jin didn't allow a single effective hit after the disruptors were deployed.

Before long, Smarion changed his tactics.

'All attacks have become heavier. He can't win if he dragged the fight, so he must somehow land a decisive blow.'

The battle of top-notch martial artists had to be delicate and precise.

While most of Smarion's enlightenment gained during his time as the Ghost Leader had become murky due to demonic nature, his sword still retained the subtlety characteristic of a transcendent individual.

However, Smarion was in the process of breaking down even that remaining subtlety. As soon as he decided that a head-on confrontation was out of the question, he chose to end the both of them.

[Ha, ha, ha!]

Bradamante pierced Smarion's left shoulder.

At the same time, Smarion thrust the sword in his right hand towards Jin's chest. 

The blade penetrated the shadow force armor and dug into Jin's chest just a finger's breadth deep.

The blade bears the decades of chaos that Smarion has built up. A murky energy incomparable to any poison in the world spread through Jin's body in an instant.

Of course, Smarion has expected Jin to back down in panic. He thought Jin would vomit blood, bend forward, and struggle to subdue the chaos that had somehow entered his body.

However, Jin didn't care and exploded the sword stuck in Smarion's shoulder without a hint of panic.

Jin is a member of the Plutonian tribe. Through this training, Jin went beyond the concept of brethren as a human but also acquired nearly identical physical characteristics to them.

Unless it was the first chaos that Helluram used directly, or a power equivalent to it. All sorts of 'general chaos' in the world could no longer affect Jin. No matter how vast and dense it is.

[It's ridiculous...…. you bastard, what is your true identity?]

Smarion's last attempt did not work.

Smarion, who increased the distance, gasped for breath with his left arm dropping. As soon as Jin's shadow force armor was pierced, he concentrated all his energy, but Jin didn't even look tired, let alone hurt.

If he could somehow deal with Jin alone, he might have been able to escape and plan for another day, even with only a fraction of his remaining power.

But in fact, the fight was already over. 

Smarion couldn't think of any other way to threaten Jin. Even now, it was obviously impossible to take his companions hostage, and there was no way to escape.

"You looked for my father when you saw me."

Jin slowly moves towards Smarion.

Smarion was desperate and swung his sword, but Jin effortlessly evaded or parried every strike, demonstrating the disparity in their skills.

"When you were the leader of the ghost mercenaries, you must have been much stronger than you are now, but you couldn't become my father's opponent."

Only Jin can say that the ghost leader Smarion Proch was stronger back than when he was encroached by chaos.

Without reaching Jin's level of transcendence, one could never think that way. It is because there is an realm that can never be reached by the demonicization instead of absolute composure. Even if the power is much greater.

"But I wondered why my father, Chiron Runcandel, kept you alive in those days."

-My lord, you probably don't even know that my father ever had a fight with Sir Chiron.

-My father and the former ghost leader...…?

- I didn't see it myself. It was even before I was born. However, the fight lasted all day and in the end Sir Chiron won, but for some reason Sir Chiron did not kill my father.

Although Smarion, the leader of the ghost mercenaries, wasn't controlled by demonic nature, was strong enough to fight Chiron at that time for 'a day', and even after losing the battle, the ghost mercenaries did not give their allegiance to Runcandel.

However, Chiron often visited the ghost castle to inquire about Smarion's well-being.

"After clashing swords with you, I have a vague idea of ​​why my father did that."

[What are you talking about?]

"My father would have respected the fact that you were resisting chaos."

Resistance to chaos and respect for it.

If you think about it, there were many strange points in the fight between Jin and Smarion from the beginning. Smarion was able to open the seal at any time long before Jin arrived.

Therefore, Smarion could annihilate the humans who surrounded him at any time until Jin came. Even if most of Tikan's strongmen were on standby, they would not be able to compete with Smarion.

But Smarion did not do that. He rightly said that he waited for someone like Chiron.

A few times, the chaos of Smarion exploded and made the surrounding a mess, and casualties occurred in the process, but there was no decisive damage to the Tikan side.

It was only after Jin appeared that Smarion focused all his chaos and bloodlust on him.

Jin felt that there was no reason why Smarion would do that, no matter how he thought it.

Except for one assumption, the premise that 'Smarion resisted demonic nature in order not to kill people'.

"I've decided to assume that you resisted chaos until I arrived. It must be thanks to that your sword has been so blunt all along, and that the Proch siblings and my people did not die."

In other words, Jin speculated that Smarion let go of the last thread of resistance as soon as "a being who could kill him" appeared.

[Maybe it's because you are Chiron's blood, so you are good at talking arrogant nonsense.]

"So I would like to pay my respects before ending the fight. Not the monster of chaos standing in front of me right now, but the human Smarion Proch, who defended the Ghost Castle alone from the chaos until yesterday."

Swoosh...…!

Suddenly, the aura and lightning energy that covered the battlefield disappeared.

The murky energy of Smarion, which it had tied up, also disappeared. It was Jin's shadow force that quickly began to fill the space again, and the battlefield, which was chaotic with mixed powers, quickly became quiet.

Within it, chaos rose like an awl a few times, but like a stone thrown into the sea, it seemed to sink into shadow force.

[Damn it...….]

Jin stopped walking and aimed Bradamante at Smarion. 

There was no need to use the Shadow Sword ultimate technique.

Gently, as if closing the eyes of a dead person, Bradamante penetrated Smarion's chest.

Smarion flinched once and grabbed the blade, and Jin calmly stared into his fading red eyes.

Smarion's eyes were not looking at Jin, who had stabbed him, but at the darkness beyond stained with shadow force.

In a life stained by madness and chaos, the only warm memories were the time when he held Lata and Faye. Even that eventually ended up being years of abuse and violence towards each other.

Smarion was not sentimental as he recalled that time. As Jin expected, the moment he arrived, Smarion lost the last remnants of his humanity.

It was just a coincidence that Smarion focused on his children, or it was like human Smarion's rigor after death.

But in Jin's eyes, it seemed like the fateful result of Smarion's resistance to chaos.

"Farewell, Sir Smarion."

Eventually, the fallen Smarion became particles and scattered among the shadow force that filled the battlefield, and Jin briefly paid a silent tribute to him.

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