C700
Jin was delighted with all of Baleâs unexpected actions at the Kinzelo headquarters.
Zephyrin's threats were unpleasant, and Orgal's jokes didnât amuse him much, but Bale was intervening and handling things for him.
Kinzelo remained silent for a moment, blinking without responding to Baleâs blunt comments.
"Well, Bale, how about you show a little restraint? If you rush in, you might end up getting an unnecessary beating," Jin said, as if trying to calm Bale, but in reality, he wanted the opposite.
Jin's words had two potential effects.
First, it would provoke Bale even more, and second, it would subtly indicate to Kinzeloâs side that he had made an effort to get Bale to behave properly.
As expected, Bale shouted even more frustratedly in response to Jin's words.
[No way!]
"What do you mean 'no way'? Youâll definitely lose. After all, Orgal is the true Demon King. So stop causing trouble and stay still."
Jin secretly wished to witness how Orgal would face Bale.
"Itâs likely that Iâll miss seeing Orgal's detailed battle during the final confrontation. I need to focus entirely on Rosa."
Therefore, it wouldn't hurt to take a look at Orgal's recovered power and how he fought when the opportunity arose. It would be different from the time of the Terror of the Sword Emperor Castle.
[Hah, Jin. You say this because you donât know. Yes, he may be stronger than me. But I can feel it.]
"What can you feel?"
[He canât kill me.]
"Well, thatâs obvious. Weâre temporary allies, right? Youâre one of the most critical forces."
[Itâs not just that. Itâs a more fundamental matter. With the power he possesses, he canât kill me. Thatâs why, even if he hits me, I want to hit him back.]
Jin looked at Orgal, as if asking him to explain what he meant.
[Unless thereâs a Genesis Knight's energy or something equivalent, perfectly erasing all traces of life is impossible. There are very rare beings like that⦠like the Black Sea King you faced in the past.]
"Meaning, putting the qualifier 'perfectly' means that killing is only impossible, but sealing or something else is possible. Thatâs why you didnât appear during Glyekâs Awakeningâ¦"
Jin gritted his teeth, remembering the battle at Sword Emperor Castle.
At that time, Kinzelo demanded Jinâs loyalty as a condition for participating in Glyekâs Battle.
[Bale, if you truly want to fight me, I have no choice but to partially seal your power. Itâs to ensure there wonât be fatal problems for our alliance. Therefore, Jin will actively intervene to prevent it.]
"Uh, youâre going to do that. Today really isnât my lucky day, Orgal."
[Itâs just another ordinary day, isnât it?]
Without the Genesis Knight's energy or something equivalent, itâs impossible to completely erase life traces.
Jin pondered that fact for a moment.
In the end, that means that to kill Orgal, the Genesis Knight's power is definitely necessary.
Considering the power Orgal possessed from the beginning, even excluding the characteristics of the Sun God's Authority, it was natural that the Genesis Knight's power would be necessary.
However, there was a strange point.
"But why did Bale acknowledge his defeat to me in that sealed field? If what Orgal said is true, then I wouldnât be able to kill Bale."
At this moment, Bale was definitely challenging Orgal, not the kind that submits just because the opponent seems stronger.
Bale had never encountered the Sun God, but he was aware that he himself was a divine being, and he was equally arrogant and independent.
"Could it be because he realized that Iâm Lady Sarah's successor?"
It wasnât a problem to ponder at that moment.
When Jin gestured, Bale turned his gaze away from Orgal with a proud air.
"Well, it seems that weâve roughly fulfilled our mutual promise, Orgal. Now letâs talk about Rosa as allies."
[About why Rosa is progressing faster than I expected?]
"Yes. There are some strange aspects in Rosa's actions."
[Tell me.]
"First, at this point, Rosa has become an evil god to the extent that even powerful individuals like Sir Padler, whom we cornered in the Kaldran Snowfield, are no longer necessary. Itâs hard to explain with evidence, but itâs something I felt myself."
[Itâs impossible that youâre saying nonsense about this matter, so I believe you. Itâs not entirely impossible.]
"But Rosa suddenly started using Joshua again. Moreover, he gave an even more incompetent impression than before and failed in all the recent tasks assigned to him. I blocked him every time. This is the point I find strange."
[So, you mean thereâs no reason for the evil god to keep such a pathetic individual by her side?]
"Yes. After meeting him in Akin, I couldnât stop thinking about it. Why does Rosa have such a waste by her sideâ¦"
Jin paused for a few seconds to organize his thoughts before fixing his gaze on Orgal.
"Suddenly, I remembered what you said during our first encounter."
-[Thereâs only one thing my daughters expect. The resurrection of my former lover, Heluram.]
-So, is that why they use humans as sacrifices?
-[Not exactly the humans themselves. Of course, they need things like human flesh and bones, but the real deal is despair. Only pure and abundant despair can awaken Heluram.]
Despair.
Jin, perhaps unintentionally, had assumed that Rosa was using Joshua to obtain pure despair.
When Jin explained this, Orgalâs eyes widened in surprise.
[...Itâs an interesting story, Jin Runcandel. If thatâs the case, itâs also possible that the acceleration of the evil god's completion is related to that.]
"If, in your opinion, my thoughts are correct, what do you think?"
[The Second Flagbearer of Runcandel had such an insignificant presence that I had forgotten about him. Human jealousy can be astonishing, to the point of surprising the gods. If the magnitude of his inferiority complex is deep and dark enough to be significant for the evil god, then anything is possible. Itâs something I hadnât thought of at all.]
"In that case⦠does it mean that Joshua performing well in his tasks is actually an inconvenience for Rosa?"
However, it wasnât a feasible plan to intentionally lose to Joshua to prevent Rosa from harvesting his despair.
If he succeeded in any task that Rosa assigned him, it meant that Jin and those around him would be injured or killed.
There was only one solution.
"It means we have to find Joshua and completely eliminate him so that Rosa canât use him anymore."
[That seems to be the only solution.]
"Since Rosa is protecting Joshua, it wonât be easy."
It was a natural assumption. Rosa wouldnât leave someone with such utility to his fate.
There must have been meticulous and impenetrable protection, astute enough to evade Joshuaâs awareness, yet impossible to eliminate by anyone.
That was also the reason why Bale had let Joshua escape in the Akin forest.
"Protection⦠just thinking about it makes me sick."
Jin felt overwhelmed by a nauseating sensation.
It was repulsive.
The fact that there were still humans who couldnât escape the arms of someone who had turned them into puppets to produce despair.
The fact that there existed a mother who would send her son further into the abyss, even after they had fallen into despair, as long as it served her purpose.
[Are you okay?]
Jin managed to suppress the growing sense of revulsion and nodded.
"Iâm fine. Anyway, whether my assumptions are correct or not, we must eliminate Joshua before the decisive battle."
[I agree. If the day comes when Joshua Runcandel is alive and not in despair, it will be your despair. You are a much more significant existence for the Evil God than Joshua⦠Your despair would be a much better ingredient for her. To awaken Heluramâ¦]
Jin began to doubt whether despair was really what awakened Heluram, as Rosa seemed to be preparing to become an evil god herself rather than to awaken Heluram.
Above all, Jin couldnât imagine Rosa as a servant of Heluram, like a prophetess.
Who could she be below?
Damn itâ¦
The more I think about it, the more complicated it gets.
At least there was one thing he was grateful for.
Orgal had just recovered a part of his former power.
"In that case, now you have a task, Orgal. Youâve rested in bed long enough. Itâs time to move."
[Do you mean that I should kill Joshua?]
"Iâm not saying it would be easy with the amount of power youâve recovered, right?"
[Well, it depends on how much the Evil God cares. But even without you saying it, I was already considering looking for him. If the Evil Godâs protection is as deep as it seems, Iâll at least confirm if Joshuaâs despair is truly being used by her.]
"Good. Youâre making the efforts to bring Bale here more rewarding. Letâs hope for significant news the next time we meet."
When Jin seemed about to leave, Orgal waved his hand and opened a dimensional portal of steel.
Beyond the portal, the seas of Tikan could be seen.
[If you wish, you can use it.]
Although it appeared to be considerate, Jin recognized it as a warning disguised as consideration.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
As allies, if Jin engaged in frivolous actions, Tikan could be reached in an instant.
Unlike before, Orgal seemed to open the dimensional portal effortlessly.
"I understand your consideration, but thereâs a journey waiting for me. You know itâs Spatial Transfer."
When Jin responded similarly, Orgal smiled with satisfaction.
[Well, as you said, itâs a favor. Until next time.]
After leaving Kinzelo's headquarters and boarding the Red Owl, Bale looked at Jin with a puzzled expression.
"Hey, Jin."
"What?"
"The reason I lost to you initially is the fire you possess."
Jin was about to ask why he was bringing that up, but he remembered his thoughts from the meeting in Kinzeloâs conference room.
"Really? I had wondered about that before. It didnât seem like I was stronger just because of the fire, but if itâs because of the fire, I guess it was true."
"No, you donât know, but your fire is very special. And it can also affect him. So, someday, weâre going to defeat him together. Understood?"
After a moment of hesitation, Jin understood why Bale was saying that.
"Sure, I understand. Someday weâll defeat him together."
/SHADOWK
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