Chapter 694
"Joshua? I didn't expect that jerk to show up here."
Jin narrowed his eyes.
When the chaos subspace unfolded, and he heard Joshua's voice, Jin felt more annoyance than danger.
It was like having a cockroach suddenly jump out from under your feet: not threatening, but incredibly disgusting, making you grit your teeth.
"It’s been a while, though I can’t say I’m particularly happy to see you. Why is someone who should be rotting in an underground prison here?"
[You’re asking the obvious. Isn’t it because I received Mother’s pardon? You probably knew I was released.]
Jin laughed at his words.
"Pardon… Rosa isn’t someone so forgiving.
You still don’t understand Rosa. You don’t receive forgiveness from that woman—you earn her recognition. Tell me, Joshua, how was life in prison? Since Rosa got you out, it must mean you had some growth."
Shak!
Somewhere, Yona’s sword appeared and disappeared, slicing through Owal’s sleeve.
Yona kept flitting around the three of them like a ghost, extending her sword.
[Yes, it was meaningful. I learned a lot thanks to you.]
"Oh, really? You seem even dumber to me."
[You’re still speaking harshly, little brother.]
"I’ve never had a brother like you."
[You can’t deny we share the same blood. We were born on the same battleship, but our positions are different, right?]
Hedo and Owl (Owal) sensed Jin losing his composure as soon as Joshua appeared.
However, instead of feeling anxious, they were relieved.
A man of that level wouldn’t let emotions cloud his judgment, so to Jin, the newly arrived second Flagbearer was nothing more than a cautious target.
"Hah… Joshua, I never imagined you appearing like this."
[What did you imagine then?]
"If you’re asking if I expected you to rot in that underground prison, then yes, of course. I thought it would be better for you to end your miserable existence there…"
[But that wish didn’t come true.]
"Don’t interrupt, Joshua. This is the last time I’ll consider you human and have a conversation with you. So listen carefully, you piece of trash."
Jin stared at a point in the curtain as if he was about to tear it apart.
"On one hand, I was hoping that you would achieve true enlightenment there and return to challenge me. I wanted you to break free from Rosa’s grip and finally become a worthy opponent. I felt the same way, and so did Elder Brother Dyfus. Why? Why do you think that is?"
[If that was truly your desire, then it has already been fulfilled. Now I’m standing before you.]
"You’re standing before me?"
Jin smiled and looked around.
"Where on earth are you? Can you really say you’re standing before me, hiding like mold behind Elder Sister Yona while only your voice is present? I don’t know if you’re proud of what you learned in prison and prattling on about it, but you’re still the same as always. You’re still the same Joshua!"
Chwang!
Hedo blocked Yona’s sword as it swung down toward Jin. Jin didn’t even glance away.
"I wouldn’t care if Elder Brother Dyfus and I tore you to pieces and tossed you out onto the street, but I hoped you would return stronger. But it was pointless. To think that the mortal enemy who conspired against us ended up so empty-handed? And not by my hand, but by a word from Rosa. Why the hell did we fight so hard against you?"
[Whether I am the same as before, you will find out from now on. It seems you’ve grown more impatient than I remember.]
"I’ll correct you—you're not the same as before. In fact, you’ve become even more useless than before. The fact that you think I fell into your trap and still remain optimistic is proof of that. You act as if the power Rosa and the Prophet granted you is entirely your own! How do you think you can hold me in such a trap?"
Jin was surrounded by Bradamante’s blue flames.
"You stupid bastard… If you had come alone and requested a fight to settle things, even knowing you’d lose, I would’ve respected that. Even if your physical body was in a state where you couldn’t wield a sword due to the underground prison, and even if you couldn’t even muster the power of a 1-Star, I would’ve treated you as a worthy opponent."
But you still didn’t realize anything.
As Jin continued to speak calmly, Joshua remained silent for a moment.
Unknowingly, he was recalling a story Rosa had told him in the past.
-You’re not dead yet. And I hope, not only for the fulfillment of the prophecy but also for the battle that will shatter it. Your younger brother, Jin. It seems unlikely that the struggle of a child could shatter the prophecy, no matter how absolute it may be.
-If the day ever comes when your prophecy brings you into the world of true battle from this underground prison, and if you can withstand that world. I’ll bring you back to the surface. Of course… As always, your prophecy will probably disappoint me once more. Just as it always has.
Even then, Jin never forgot the struggle, and Joshua remained in the same place.
Joshua still hadn’t realized it.
That’s why it was hard for Jin to gauge why Rosa had started using Joshua again.
In fact, an evil god doesn’t even need a knight like Padler, so why entrust such trivial work to something like him?
‘There must be a reason, but I really don’t know. It can’t just be a whim.’
Amidst the stillness, Yona’s sword occasionally pierced the group without any effect.
"In the end, because you couldn’t stand alone… know that you were never acknowledged by Father, nor Rosa, not even by me, Joshua. This is the last shred of patience I have for treating you like a human. That’s it."
When Jin faced Bale, a new magic sword technique achieved solely by him aimed at a point within the shroud of chaos.
Then, as if melting ice over a fire, the shroud he targeted peeled away to reveal the appearance of the fake Yonas that had been hidden.
There were a total of seven fakes, including the real one, targeting the group in the space beyond.
[You’ve mastered a peculiar sword technique.]
"If I were you, Second Flagbearer, I wouldn’t be able to keep a straight face. No matter how damaged you are, weren’t you also a knight? Right now, Jin is showing you a realm you can never reach. So be grateful."
[Shut up, Tower Guardian!]
As soon as the fakes appeared, they hid their bodies again, and a new dimensional portal opened from where they vanished.
From that dimensional portal emerged monsters powered by chaos.
Hedo recognized them as demonic creatures that originally belonged to the Black Sea.
At that moment, Joshua had already sensed that his plan was failing.
It was because the group remained unfazed even when they saw the Yonas and the core monsters pouring out in droves.
The three of them seemed unperturbed by the situation.
Especially Jin, who had personally experienced the strength of figures like Padler and Lionel, as well as the divine power of Bale and Rosa’s sinister power.
Such a trivial trick didn’t even phase him.
"So, is this all you’ve prepared? Elder Sister, the fakes, and the horde of core monsters?"
Slash!
Jin decapitated one of the fakes charging at him.
The fake approached Jin but couldn’t wield its sword properly due to the flames spreading from Bradamante.
At that moment, Joshua looked back and forth between Jin and the dead Yona with a puzzled expression.
According to Joshua’s thinking, Jin should never kill the Yonas.
[Are you also walking the path of domination? Killing Yonas without hesitation.]
"You speak as if you’re walking a wicked path like Rosa. Of course, you’re not walking the path of evil, much less of domination; it’s just a miscellaneous path. Do you think I’m going to kill Elder Sister Yona? I killed her because she was a fake."
Jin’s ability to distinguish between the real and the fake in an instant wasn’t part of Joshua’s calculations.
In fact, Joshua hadn’t come today with the intention of eliminating Jin.
He had come to witness Jin’s desperate struggle, which would force him to kill all the Yonas to survive, plunging him into hatred and despair.
He believed that this immense despair, characteristic of a special existence like Jin, was the crucial element Rosa needed most at that moment.
That’s why Joshua trembled with a sudden sense of suffocation. He felt the anxiety of impending failure, the fear of disappointing his mother once again.
Of course, Jin saw through Joshua’s inner turmoil as clearly as the palm of his hand. However, it brought him no joy, just as one wouldn’t feel a sense of victory over a worm.
"Now that I think about it, you were also involved with Airan Vermont and tried to assassinate Dante. I knew about it in advance, which led to your failure then, and the same now. Looking back, you’ve never defeated me."
[But I see both you and Airan Vermont are still alive.]
Jin was reading the flow of chaos indicating the opening of a dimensional portal.
His intention was to follow that flow and find the hidden space where Joshua was hiding.
"Are you proud of that? You’re pretty well hidden, seems like it’s outside the forest. If you want to end this disgraceful act, stay there. I’ll come when I’m done here."
Of course, Jin didn’t expect Joshua to obediently wait for his arrival.
In any case, cleaning up the remaining six fakes, the real Yona, and the core monsters would take considerable time.
The issue wasn’t just getting rid of everyone except the real Yona.
They had to be completely eliminated to prevent casualties if they managed to escape or cause damage to the surroundings.
So Jin thought about sending someone else after Joshua.
Crack!
Suddenly, a crack split the top of the barrier, and a golden aura pierced through. It was Bale, tearing through the barrier from the outside.
[Ah-oh! I’m so annoyed. Hey, Jin, can’t I just finish off these things? Except for your sisters.]
"You have other things to do, Bale."
[But can’t I deal with these things? It would help relieve some stress.]
"No. Instead, I’ll give you someone to kill. Get out of the forest and find Joshua."
[Who’s that?]
"The one who created this barrier. He should be somewhere around twelve o'clock outside the forest. Tear him apart as many times as necessary, even if he can regenerate or resurrect. It should be a decent challenge, right?"
As Bale hesitated, Hedo spoke up.
"Why hesitate, Bale? Go now before he can escape."
[Tch... Fine, I got it.]
Once Bale left, Jin fired a signal flare to gather the troops.
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SYS (Novel)