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As Jin approached, all kinds of energies emanating from the Ghost Castle became even more powerful.
Not only Jin, but also his companions and lower-ranking members of the Phantom Mercenaries and the Black King Mercenaries could feel it.
'I expected Smarion Proch's energy to be strong... but is it really this intense?'
Will the young master be alright alone?
'It's hard to breathe even from this distance.'
Jin's companions looked at his back and thought.
They had heard that Jin had turned Ranke Halovice into a living corpse as soon as he arrived, but the energy emanating from Smarion now went beyond that.
Furthermore, what Smarion emitted now was not all.
'If it hadn't been for the preparation in Tikan, we would never have been able to handle Smarion Proch with the power we came here with in the first place...'
Jin's companions were astonished as they confirmed the reality of Smarion's power.
If Jin had not returned from training at that moment, they did not want to imagine how many casualties the Vamel Alliance would have suffered.
Jin was also glad he hadn't arrived late.
"I'm glad 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 earlier.
If any of this had gone wrong, surely people would have died.
As Jin approached the edge of the forest, the landscape darkened.
The Ghost Forest, eroded by chaos, looked as desolate as the Black Sea, and the imposing Ghost Castle trembled as if it would explode at any moment.
Jin opened the castle door without hesitation.
The chaos clinging to the door stuck to his hands like ash, but it was soon swept away by the lightning energy.
In no time, Jin reached the lower level where Smarion awaited.
The huge iron door covering the seal had melted into chaos and only traces remained.
The seal, made by the elders of the Phantom Mercenaries with their lives, was already broken as Jin had predicted from outside.
"Why don't you come out now, Smarion Proch?"
[Yes, you must be Cyron's blood.......]
Although he had never seen Jin before, Smarion was confident.
"Is there any trace of reason left in him?"
Jin thought there might be.
If only his instincts and demonization remained, Smarion would have no reason to give Jin time as if facing the opponent of his dreams.
However, what remained in Smarion's consciousness was closer to blind enmity than reason.
Towards Cyron, and towards the existence that wields shadows.
It was a common trait of all Chaos: aversion to Shadow Energy.
[He also has unpleasant powers.]
Swoosh...!
A crack ran through the seal from the inside, and a hand as black as coal emerged.
When that hand completely tore through the seal, a sharp cry, like that of a human, pierced the ears.
It was the sound of the trapped souls of the elder phantom mercenaries, now liberated.
The spirits seemed confused and tried to escape.
Trapped by Smarion, they became his "prey".
Smarion devoured the souls as if chewing on the raw flesh of a beast.
"Before drawing my sword, let me ask you one thing. I don't think I can relax while fighting you."
Jin stared at Smarion. There was no trace of anything human in his red eyes.
"Outside are children, Sir Laya Proch, Fey Proch, and my companions. Do you have any intention to choose or cooperate for their sake?"
[Why should I bother with tasteless things like them?]
Sigmund and Bradamante emitted a dreadful friction sound as they came out of the sheath.
Jin's eyes softened for a moment with bitterness before hardening.
"Regrettable. If Chaos hadn't consumed you, you might have considered it even a little."
As soon as he finished responding, Jin's vision darkened.
The Chaos harbored by Smarion exploded.
The explosion that began on 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, widening their eyes.
It was over fifteen hundred meters away from where they were, but the shockwave that hit the shield was fierce and relentless.
Jin bore the brunt at close range.
Surprisingly, amidst the aftermath of the explosion and the debris of the shattered castle, Jin appeared unscathed.
Jin unleashed his Shadow Blade to counter all the chaos crashing down on him.
Amidst the explosion, Jin's cold, shining eyes followed Smarion's movements.
Smarion also formed his dual blades with chaos to confront Jin.
The ground collapsed.
Due to being eroded by chaos for so long, the Ghost Castle could not withstand the slightest blow and crumbled into dust.
The Proch brothers and the members of the phantom mercenaries did not even sigh after witnessing the Ghost Castle collapse.
They thought it was an insult to Jin, who was fighting for them.
The erupting chaos naturally created a battlefield for the two.
The ground sank in a huge semicircle, leaving the bodies of the two in the air for a moment, and before their feet could even touch the ground again, they wielded their swords against each other.
The force of shadows, chaos, and the three black swords intertwined dizzyingly.
Every time chaos erupted, the curtain of shadowy force countered it, and with each clash of swords, the cracks in the ground widened ceaselessly.
In just a few seconds, the unfolding destruction seemed unbelievable.
"Battle begins, we're also entering, prepare to open the disruptors!"
At Quikantel's command, the Vamel Alliance headed to the battlefield in perfect order.
They couldn't enter quickly.
It was because Shadow Energy, chaos, aura, mana, and lightning energy surged like a storm.
[I have been waiting for someone like you. Of the same kind as Cyron Runcandel...! I will devour you and find him.]
Boom...!
The endless chaos swept the ground, distorting space.
If left alone, Smarion would not tire even after wiping the area off the map.
The sheer size of his pure power clearly surpassed Jin's.
'As expected, even if there's consciousness left, in the end, he's just a demonic killer.'
What makes a martial artist strong is not the total amount of force, but the enlightenment of the level and martial arts acquired through fighting.
And Smarion forgot most of the enlightenment 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 shattered and scratched Smarion's neck.
The fragments of the broken twin swords changed like scattered arrows of Kaio and attacked Jin.
One grazed Jin's cheek, but in the gap, Jin pierced through Smarion's chest.
Black blood splattered, and Smarion scattered black chaos as he increased the distance.
Hundreds of chaos projectiles falling in sphere form tore through the shadow and aura force shields.
The chaos piercing through and exiting the battlefield hit the entire forest.
It was more or less when Jin's companions entered the battlefield and saw Jin and Smarion fighting for the first time.
'Is that our lord?'
'This immense power is not giving the lord a proper hit...!'
By the way, it was mostly Smarion's power, not Jin's, that hindered their entry.
Because of this, Jin's companions thought Jin might be pushed back.
But it was far from reality.
If there existed in the world a ship that could not be tossed even in the raging waves and storm, it would resemble Jin, standing firm against Smarion's onslaught.
The difference in caliber was evident.
At that moment, Jin's companions could feel the fact that he had ascended to the ranks of transcendence beyond 10 stars.
Just by looking at Jin's back, which began to look like a distant dot, they felt as if a giant were standing right in front of their noses.
His opponent was the highest-level chaos-infected and possibly the strongest phantom leader of all time.
Despite facing such a legendary figure and the overwhelming spatial control exerted by Smarion with his immense power, Jin's companions did not think for a moment that Jin would lose.
In reality, Jin's task was not to win the battle.
The key lay in 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 battle began.
You can't defeat me. How about surrendering?
"Deploy the disruptors!"
At Cuicantelle's shout, more than five hundred blue bars shot up into the air.
The disruptors floated in a circle and connected via mana, and the next moment, the phenomenon that blocked the aura of the two, who had been stirring up the battlefield all along, occurred.
'There's no need to doubt Dr. Qwaul's things. If this also works for me, it won't be different from rat poison for the martial artist I have below.'
Of course, concentrating five hundred disruptors on just two individuals was only possible thanks to Jin's skill.
The size of the aura released by Jin and Smarion was significantly reduced, and the speed at which the forests and the ground were being destroyed decreased.
Smarion tried to intensify the chaos even further, but Jin heightened his senses and dodged the attacks.
The sense of handling aura.
But not even five hundred would be enough to hinder the functioning of the aura of those who transcended.
Before the disruptors deployed, in Jin's illuminated heart, a much larger aura than before was already forming.
It was something that Smarion, soaked in demonic energy, could never achieve.
'As things stand, thanks to that, it's now easier for me to protect my companions.'
Sword of Legends. Fourth Battle King Technique.
Guardian Brothers.
While Jin's Light Heart emitted a glow, lightning bolts fell upon the heads of his companions.
Instead of dealing a blow, the lightning bolts turned into a protective shield that shielded the target.
All forces of the Vamel Alliance nearby were protected by the guardian brothers.
Smarion's chaos, which had pierced through the Aura Shield and the Dragon's Fire Shield, could not penetrate the dense blue shield.
Jin gripped Bradamante tightly again and fixed his gaze on Smarion.
"Now you can't kill anyone, Smarion Proch."
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