C575
When Ron felt Dante's vitality gradually returning, something warm rose in his chest.
Although his heart was still numb due to the Genesis Knight's energy, his eyes brimmed with an undeniable emotion.
The amount of Chaos escaping through the protective shield was clearly decreasing.
The speed at which Ron's sword energy shattered Gliek also increased.
Gliek, who had effortlessly overwhelmed the elite forces of the world's strongest clans so far, was no longer recognizable.
Slash, thunk!
Ron forcibly gathered and cut down Gliek's form in a matter of seconds.
As Gliek's momentum rapidly diminished, Ron's sword showcased its true value.
Gliek's screams were quieter than before.
It wasn't because the pain had reduced, but because his strength had diminished.
The black Chaos vortex enveloping the sky also became smaller.
Jin was able to reach Rosa and Talaris as its influence decreased.
"Younger," Rosa said, wiping blood from her mouth.
For a moment, they exchanged looks without saying a word.
Jin didn't express gratitude to Rosa for coming to save him, and Rosa didn't expect it.
Both simply did what they had to do.
After silently bowing to Rosa, Jin turned his gaze to Talaris.
And as soon as he saw her, he could immediately tell.
That if Rosa had continued entering the battlefield to save him, Talaris might have died.
It wasn't reasonable to ask Talaris to seal Dante because she couldn't even control her own body at the moment.
Fortunately for him, Dante is alive, so it seemed like it wouldn't be a big issue without Talaris's help.
However, Rosa's expression as she examined Dante's body was not good.
"His life has been saved, but as a Warrior, he's as good as dead."
"Excuse me?"
"...The blood vessels throughout his body were blocked, and all aura channels, including the nervous system, are fatally damaged. Didn't you know?"
Jin had been running so frantically that he didn't have time to notice.
When he checked, it was as Rosa had said.
It seemed like Dante could never fully recover unless it was Numerus' Tears that brought the dead back to life.
Jin closed his eyes tightly and swallowed saliva.
"As long as he's alive, it's enough. The fact that he's not dead... It's enough for me."
"I wish I could say the same for Ron-nim and Dante Hairan."
"Kid, are you okay!"
Upon hearing Murakan's voice, Jin nodded.
Murakan still wanted to escape with Jin even now, but Jin didn't accept it.
"It's impossible to break through that Chaos and Ron-nim's protective shield. Moreover, even if it were possible, leaving now would be quite risky."
This means that if Jin and Murakan can leave the battlefield with their combined strength, so can Kelliark and Rosa.
In that case, Kelliark will come after me and Dante.
'Even if the Family manages to repel them, my mother is as dangerous as Kelliark.'
Now Kelliark had to ensure both Jin and Dante.
Jin was needed to complete the Demon God Orb, and Dante as a means to tie down Ron so that he couldn't recklessly attack Zipple in the future.
The situation was the same for Rosa.
She didn't appreciate Dante like Jin.
Like Kelliark, Dante was just a pawn for Rosa to move Ron Hairan.
Currently, Jin and Murakan had no power to protect Dante from them.
Therefore, Jin had to make sure that, after the war, Dante would return safely to Ron.
It was both a duty as a friend and a responsibility as a human.
Gliek's forcibly forming body struggled.
After waking up from the seal, everything he had planned had failed.
The predestined fate was changing, which meant a twist of events.
Gliek had been sealed for so long, but he had to die in this way.
It was something Gliek couldn't accept.
Why wasn't Ron falling into despair?
While his body was being torn apart, Gliek naturally thought about the cause.
The Genesis Knight's power he knew could never stabilize so quickly.
Soon, Gliek came to a conclusion.
[Bastard... The moment you reached the Genesis Knight, you shared that energy with the Contractor of Solderet. Yes, thanks to that, you were able to resist demonization.]
"It's unpleasant to keep hearing a monster speaking human language."
[Why did you do that?]
"It's something beings like you can't understand."
[Don't you regret it?]
"Of course not."
[You're a special human being. Even if you combine hundreds or tens of millions of mortals, they can't surpass the value of the power you gained.]
"Then, you're perishing for it."
[Kekeke...!]
Gliek let out a self-deprecating laugh.
He was admitting that he couldn't defeat Ron.
However, he didn't lack means to cause a scandal.
[Self-destruction was my role, not yours.]
Ron narrowed his eyebrows.
He hadn't even considered the case of Gliek's self-destruction.
Even if he managed to save Dante, if he died in the process, he couldn't protect him in the future.
That's why, deep down, he was skeptical of Gliek's self-destruction.
If the massive Chaos that composed Gliek exploded suddenly, not even Ron himself could be sure.
Suddenly, the Chaos wind stopped.
As the Chaos invading the ground and sky abruptly ceased, humans felt an ominous premonition washing over them.
Like rivers converging into the sea, the halted Chaos began to gather in the middle of the battlefield.
Ron tried to catch the flow, but his energy wouldn't stop.
Choose!
Ron Hairan!
About ten seconds later, Gliek's voice echoed throughout the battlefield.
It was an ultimatum for Ron.
[You can easily escape alone. Whether you protect yourself or save the pitiful mortals compared to you, I will watch until the end. With a smile on your face...]
For Gliek, that was the best decision, and the final choice.
As long as Ron shared the light of the Genesis Knight with Jin, Ron could never completely avoid Gliek's self-destruction.
Even if Ron prevented it, he would either die or be unable to keep fighting, so he had to do it for the sake of his brothers beyond the Tigris Mountains.
Even if Ron escaped alone, it wasn't so bad.
The fact that he abandoned his blood and relatives he wanted to protect so much would amplify his demon heart once again.
At that moment, Dante stood up.
"Dante!"
His vitality was returning, but he still couldn't move properly.
However, Dante was taking steps toward his own grandfather, like Ron overcoming his death.
"No... no, Grandpa..."
Ron turned to look in the direction his grandson was running.
Ron smiled as he saw his grandson running toward him with a broken and battered body.
He didn't say anything about stepping back while all of Gliek's Chaos was about to explode.
Instead, he illuminated a path, allowing his grandson to approach him directly.
The light of the Genesis Knight aided Dante's steps.
"Come closer, Dante."
Blood tears welled up in Dante's eyes as he approached Ron.
Soon, Dante collapsed and reached Ron's arms.
Ron patted his grandson's back a few times, then grabbed him by the shoulder and lifted him up.
"Dante Hairan, my beloved grandson."
"Grandpa, gran-grandpa..."
"I have always intended to give you everything. Time has advanced a bit. My life has been yours since the moment you were born."
Dante was unable to speak.
The understanding that this might be the last moment with his grandfather, the conviction that his grandfather would never change his decision. It was unbearable, and he couldn't contain his emotions.
"After fighting against pain all this time, I understand how difficult it must have been for you."
Ron handed his sword, Rashid, to Dante.
Dante kept shaking his head while maintaining eye contact with Ron, but Ron's hand holding Rashid was too firm.
And it was warm.
Even if he wanted to shake it off, he couldn't.
"Now..."
You are the Sword Emperor.
You will become the Sword Emperor.
At Ron's following words, Dante burst into tears of pain.
Then Dante realized that an incredibly powerful vitality was entering his body.
The light of the Genesis Knight obtained by the human named Ron Hairan and the true energy obtained by a Warrior named Sword Emperor were moving from him to Dante.
Just like sand escaping through the cracks of hands, all his power couldn't be fully transmitted to Dante.
Just as it happened when he shared the light of the Genesis Knight with Jin.
However, it was enough for Dante's blood to run wild again and for his broken organs to return to their place.
Moreover, the "Innate Chaos" that made Dante so fragile from birth was disappearing.
It was the result of Gliek, the White Stone forming that Chaos, beginning to lose its identity.
Now, there was no existence in the world that could be called Gliek.
Only the enormous Chaos, ready to explode like a volcano, filled the battlefield.
"You've always made me proud."
"Grandpa, please, please stop. It should be you who survives, not someone like me, I..."
"And above all, I have loved you more than anything else in the world. You have been the blessing of my life."
Ron lifted his head and met Jin's eyes, who had followed Dante.
"Please take care of Dante. I owe you to the end, without giving anything in return."
Jin couldn't say anything.
Ron finally embraced Dante for the last time.
He felt relieved as he felt his grandson's heart beating vigorously.
"Now go, Dante. This is not the end for you and me; don't linger in sadness too long."
Ron turned around, and Dante's and Jin's bodies floated in the air.
Dante struggled and reached out to Ron, but their bodies moved away from him along the path of light.
"GRANDPA, GRAN..."
After Dante's voice calling faded away completely, Ron turned to look at the disappearing path of light.
Only after the voice calling him ceased completely, Ron turned to look back.
Then he formed a sword instead of Rashid.
To end the war, he ventured into the core of Chaos.
It was the moment when the Chaos's fate, Dante's death, and Hairan's destruction completely changed.
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