CHAPTER 630

[T.L: punisher87]

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As Jin drew closer, all kinds of energies emanating from the Ghost Castle became even more powerful.

Now, it was to the point where not only Jin, but also his companions and lower-ranking members of the Ghost mercenaries and the Black king mercenary could also felt it.

'I expected that the energy of Smarion Proch would be strong... but is it really this intense?'

'Will the young master be alright alone? It's hard to breathe even from this far away.'

Jin's companions looked at his back and thought.

They had heard about Jin turning Ranke Halovice into a living corpse as soon as he arrived, but the energy emanating from Smarion now was beyond that.

Besides, what Smarion was emitting now was not all of it.

'If it was for the preparation in Tikan, we would never have been able to handle the Smarion Proch with the power that we came here in the first place....'

Jin's companions became stunned when they confirmed the reality of the power that Smarion had.

 If Jin hadn't returned from training at this point, they didn't even want to imagine how many casualties the Vamel Alliance would have suffered.

Jin also swept his heart that he was not late.

'I'm glad that I came right away.'

If he had continued his training, if the Red Owl hadn't been completed, or if Smarion had broken the seal sooner. If any of these had gone wrong, people would surely have died.

As Jin approached the edge of the forest, the landscape darkened.

The Ghost Forest, eroded by chaos, looked as barren as the Black Sea, and the towering ghost castle was shaking as if it would explode at any moment.

Jin swung open the castle gate without hesitation.

The chaos clinging to the gate stuck to his hands like ash, but it was soon washed away by lightning energy.

Before long, Jin reached the lowest level where Smarion awaited.

The huge iron gate that covered the seal melted into chaos and left only traces.

The seal, made by the elders of the Ghost mercenaries with their lives, was already broken as Jin predicted it from the outside.

"Why don't you come out now, Smarion Proch?"

[Yes, you must be Chiron's blood...….]

Despite never having seen Jin, Smarion was confident.

'Has any shred of reason remained in him?'

Jin thought it might be. If only his instincts and demonicization were left, Smarion would have no reason to give time to Jin as if you were facing your dream opponent.

However, what remained in Smarion's consciousness was closer to blind enmity than reason. 

Toward Chiron, and toward the existence that handles the shadows. It was a common trait among all chaos: an aversion to the shadow force.

[You also have unpleasant powers.]

Swoosh...…!

A crack pierced through the seal from the inside, and a pitch-black hand emerged.

When that hand completely tore the seal, a sharp shriek, akin to that of a human, pierced the ears.

It was the sound of the trapped souls of the Ghost mercenaries elders, now released. 

The spirits appeared hazy and seemed to be trying to escape somewhere.

Caught in the grasp of Smarion, they became his 'prey'. Smarion devoured the souls as if chewing the raw meat of a beast.

"Before I draw my sword, let me ask one thing. I don't think I'll be able to relax while fighting against you."

Jin locked eyes with Smarion. In his red eyes, there was no trace of anything human.

"Outside, there are children, Sir Laya Proch, Faye Proch, and my companions. Do you have any intention of making a choice or cooperating for their sake?"

[Why should I bother with tasteless things like them?]

Sigmund and Bradamante made a ghastly friction sound as they came out of the scabbard. Jin's eyes softened for a moment with bitterness before hardening.

"Regrettable. If you hadn't been consumed by chaos, you might have considered them even a little."

As soon as he finished answering, Jin's vision darkened. 

The chaos that Smarion held exploded.

The explosion that started at the lowest level of the basement destroyed the entire Ghost Castle in the blink of an eye.

An earthquake spread outside, and those waiting reinforced their shields, opening their eyes wide.

It was more than 1500m away from where they were, but the shockwave hitting the shield was fierce and relentless.

Jin took the brunt of it at close range.

Surprisingly, amidst the aftermath of the explosion and the debris of the shattered castle, Jin appeared unharmed.

Jin unleashed his shadow sword to offset all the chaos that poured onto him.

In the midst of the explosion, Jin's eyes, cold and shining, followed Smarion's movements. 

Smarion also formed his dual swords with chaos to confront Jin.

The ground collapsed. 

Due to being eroded by chaos for a long time, the Ghost castle could not withstand the slightest shock and crumbled to dust.

The Proch siblings and the ghost mercenaries members did not sigh even after witnessing that the ghost castle was collapsing. 

They thought it was an insult to Jin who was fighting for them.

The exploding chaos naturally created a battleground for the two. The ground dug into a huge semicircle, leaving the bodies of the two in the air for an instant, and before their feet could even touch the ground again, they swung their swords at each other.

Shadow force, chaos, and three black blades were intertwined in a dizzying way.

Every time chaos exploded, the curtain of shadow force offset it, and with each clash of swords, the cracks in the ground widened incessantly.

In just a few seconds, the destruction unfolding seemed unbelievable.

"Battle begins, we are entering too, prepare to open the disruptors!"

At Cuicantelle's command, the Vamel Alliance headed to the battlefield in perfect order.

They couldn't enter swiftly. It was because shadow force, chaos, aura, mana, and lightning energy were surging like a storm.

[I have been waiting for someone like you. The same kind as Chiron Runcandel...…! I will devour you and find him.]

Boom...…!

The endless pouring chaos ravaged the ground, distorting space.

If left alone, Smarion won't tire even after wiping the area off the map. The size of his pure power clearly exceeded Jin's.

'As expected, even if consciousness remains, in the end he is just a demonic murderer.'

What makes a martial artist strong is not the total amount of strength, but the enlightenment of level and martial arts gained through struggle.

And Smarion forgot most of the enlightenment that he had gained during his time as a human.

Bang-!

Jin blocked Smarion's twin swords, which had fallen like lightning. The twin swords created by chaos broke and scratched Smarion's neck.

The shards of the broken twin swords changed like Kaio's scattered arrows and attacked Jin.

One of them grazed Jin's cheek, but in the gap, Jin sliced through Smarion's chest. Black blood splattered, and Smarion spread black chaos as he increased the distance.

Hundreds of chaos projectiles falling in the form of spheres tore through the shadow force and aura shields.

Chaos that broke through it and went out of the battlefield hit the whole forest. 

It was around the time when Jin's companions entered the battlefield and saw Jin and Smarion fighting for the first time.

'Is that our lord?'

'This huge power is not giving the lord a proper blow...!'

On the way, it was mostly Smarion's power, not Jin's, that made their entry difficult. Because of this, Jin's companions thought that Jin might be pushed back.

But it was far from the truth.

If a ship existed in the world that could not be shaken even in the face of raging waves and storms, it would resemble Jin, steadfastly holding his ground against Smarion's onslaught.

The difference in caliber was evident. 

At that point, Jin's companions were able to feel the fact that he had risen to the ranks of transcendence beyond 10-star.

Just looking at Jin's back, which started to look like a distant dot, felt like a giant who was standing right in front of their nose.

His opponent was the highest level of chaos infected and arguably the strongest ghost leader of all time.

Despite facing such a legendary figure and Smarion's overwhelming control of space with his immense power, Jin's companions never thought for a moment that Jin would lose.

In reality, Jin's task wasn't about winning the fight. The key was how much external damage he could minimize. That was the crux of the matter. 

The outcome was practically decided the moment they drew their swords. What mattered was achieving maximum results with minimal damage.

That's why Jin asked before the fight started.

You cannot defeat me. How about giving up?

"Deploy the disruptors!"

As Cuicantelle shouted, more than five hundred blue rods shot up into the air. The disruptors floated in a circle and connected by mana, and the next moment the phenomenon occurred that blocked the aura of the two people, who had been shaking the battlefield the whole time.

'There is no need to doubt Dr. Qwaul's stuff. If this works for me as well, it will be no different from rat poison to the martial artist below me.'

Of course, concentrating five hundred disruptors on just two individuals was only possible because of Jin's prowess. 

The size of the aura released by Jin and Smarion has been significantly reduced, and the speed at which forests and ground were being destroyed slowed down.

Smarion tried to intensify the chaos even more, but Jin raised his senses and parried the attacks.

The sense of operating the aura.

'But even five hundred would be far from enough to hinder the operation of the aura of those who transcended.'

Before the disruptors were deployed, a much larger aura than before was already forming in Jin's illuminating heart. It was something that Smarion, soaked in demonic energy, could never accomplish.

'As it stands, thanks to that, it's now easier for me to protect my companions.'

Plutonian Swordsmanship 4th Battle King Mystic technique 

Guardian Brethren 

As Jin's illuminating heart emitted a radiance, lightning rained down on the heads of Jin's companions. 

Instead of striking a blow, the lightning bolts turned into a protective shield that protected the target.

All of the forces of the Vamel Alliance nearby were protected by the guardian brethren.

Smarion's chaos, which had passed through the Aura Shield and the Dragon fire shield, could not break through the dense blue shield.

Jin tightened his grip on Bradamante once again, fixing his gaze on Smarion.

"Now, you can't kill anyone, Smarion Proch."

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