Swordmaster’s Youngest Son

C413 - Why, Hairan (7)

"Grandfather..." Dante's voice didn't sound loud, perhaps because he had just woken up and had no energy.

It was so quiet that Jin could barely hear him despite being by his side.

However, Ron turned his head at that faint call.

His gaze fixed on the outer wall, where Dante and Jin were.

"Grandfather!"

He smiled. Ron smiled as he looked at his grandson.

Despite having blood all over his body, it seemed not all of it was Ron's blood.

'Berakt is undoubtedly one of the strongest figures in the world, so I expected this fight to be quite impressive, but I can't believe Sir Ron has been injured so much...'

It didn't seem real at all when Jin saw Ron injured firsthand.

Except for Cyron, Ron is one of the top contenders when it comes to the strongest individuals in the world.

'Besides, Berakt's injuries seem somewhat less severe.'

Is Berakt stronger than Ron? It didn't make much sense.

Jin had heard countless heroic stories and praises about Ron from his previous life, while Berakt was someone he had just met in this life.

He had long realized that Berakt was Rosa's opponent, but that was all he knew. Certainly, Berakt didn't seem to be a very famous figure in the hierarchy of the human world.

It seemed that even Ron and Berakt were meeting for the first time.

"Calm down, Dante."

Dante struggled as he tried to go to his grandfather, but he was so exhausted that all he could do was wrestle.

"But... Grandfather...".

"We are in the Sword Emperor's Castle, and that knight over there is Ron Hairan, the best knight in the world. Do you think your grandfather would lose here?"

Ron Hairan being defeated by someone in the middle of the Sword Emperor's Castle...

It was an unimaginable sight for anyone.

Such things seemed impossible unless Runcandel or Zipple launched a combined attack.

Even if the Emperor of Vermont led a large army and personally intervened, there were many doubts about what he could do to the Sword Emperor's Castle guarded by Ron. The world was vast.

Even if Berakt was stronger than Ron, it wasn't entirely implausible.

However, Jin had a hunch that there was something more involved.

He calmed his startled heart and calmly observed the battlefield again. The shape of the outer wall and the collapsed buildings did not look familiar. The slashed surfaces were excessively rough for something that had been destroyed by sword energy.

It seemed as if some giant had randomly smashed them. Of course, it could be explained as energy fragments flying in all directions when sword energies collided, or the building could be shattered by shockwaves, but that explanation alone was insufficient.

Most of the debris seemed charred.

Jin looked up at the sky.

Grenille...

Grenille, Kinzelo's aerial battleship.

Thick smoke was rising from Grenille's cannon forefront.

'Is Ron-nim retreating because he's trying to stop those cannon shots?'

At that moment, mana began to accumulate in the cannon as if in response to Jin's thoughts.

Crack-le! A huge lightning bolt was building up in the cannon, even from Jin's perspective.

It was shocking that such lightning could be generated without warning.

"This is madness!

Just before the cannon fired, Jin hurriedly raised a protective shield.

Kwaah...!

The cannon emitted a colossal lightning bolt.

The blinding light was brighter than daylight, and the shockwave spreading from the cannon not only tore through the clouds but also struck the ground.

And an unimaginable formless sword energy that was not visible to the naked eye blocked the cannon fire. It was Ron Hairan's sword energy.

Its function was to disintegrate the cannon shot before it reached the ground. The cannon shot was shattered by the sword energy, and its debris wreaked havoc on the Sword Emperor's Castle, emitting an ominous blue light.

Hairan's knights and warriors desperately blocked the cannon fragments.

The shockwave from the cannon hit Jin's protective shield violently. Dante's bloodshot eyes trembled as he clenched his teeth in helplessness.

He even vomited a handful of blood, and his recoil accelerated due to his anger.

"Kaah...!"

"Dante, please, listen to me. I'll evacuate you as soon as the explosion is over, so calm down. Your reflux is getting worse due to your anger. Please. Think of Ron-nim; he wouldn't want you to get hurt anymore."

It reminded Jin of the moment he faced Kozec in the ancient ruins of Colon.

He could say with certainty that the power of the battleship Grenille was incomparable to that of Kozec back then. On that occasion, Talaris had single-handedly blocked most of the cannon shots, and Jin had barely survived by deflecting the debris falling towards the natives.

Currently, there are thousands of knights and warriors in the Sword Emperor's Castle. Unlike during the Colon incident, it seemed they were not enough to stop the destruction of the Sword Emperor's Castle even if they were all clearing away the debris.

'Is this why they were so confident when they invaded the Sword Emperor's Castle?'

However, the Sword Emperor remained the Sword Emperor.

Originally, only one or at most two cannon shots would suffice for the entire Sword Emperor's Castle to collapse, and it was not an exaggeration. But Ron Hairan was preventing the castle from falling.

Like the cannon shots, his formless sword energy split into small pieces and intercepted the falling debris before it reached the ground.

In other words, Ron was not only facing Berakt; he was fighting while protecting the entire allied camp.

Describing such a large battle skill with just the adjective "strong" was not easy.

That's why Jin didn't see the Sword Emperor's Castle ending today despite the unfavorable situation.

'I don't think those Kinzelo bastards plan to destroy Hairan. If they did, they wouldn't have created a situation where the Bishkel group is isolated in the Sword Emperor's Castle from the beginning.'

Moreover, the fact that they were firing the cannons meant they had already secured the Bishkel group, and there was a high probability that they would withdraw.

The shockwaves hitting the protective shield were decreasing.

"Shuri, take Dante to the healers. It seems the infirmary has collapsed too, so take him to the healers who seem most capable in the rear of the battlefield."

[Meow!]

Jin said as he tied Dante to Shuri's back.

Dante had almost no strength left.

Just before Shuri took a step, Jin firmly grabbed Dante's shoulder.

"My fight is your fight, and your fight is mine. Today, I will fight on your behalf. I will never let those bastards go, so control yourself."

Dante responded by blinking his bloodshot eyes.

Jin's gaze turned cold as Shuri started moving to jump off the outer wall.

Ron and Berakt's swords clashed again as the aftermath of the explosion ended.

"It would have been better if you had followed my suggestion and moved to the outside. Ron Hairan, the mountain of corpses has formed today because of you!"

Ron brandished his sword, Rashid, without saying a word.

However, it wasn't because of overwhelming strength that he couldn't respond; he had nothing to say to a beast that knew nothing of honor.

Their battle progressed where both seemed evenly matched, but Ron might have had the advantage if Grenille hadn't been there.

-You will benefit greatly, Jin-nim.

Suddenly, he remembered what Margiella had said when the situation had started.

Something warm surged within him as Jin contemplated the battered Sword Emperor's Castle.

The Sword Emperor's Castle is the home of his friends. They are also people who would someday become his comrades in the battle against Zipple.

Benefits?

I'll make sure you scoundrels suffer such a great loss that you'll never dare to do something like this again...

Ssssh...

Shadow Energy began to gather around Bradamante.

It was a special technique he had saved as a last resort when facing a formidable enemy.

Shadow Blade: Special Technique - Black Light Call

The sword wrapped in Shadow Energy cut through the air.

Following its trajectory, the surrounding space distorted and formed a single black gate...

A portal leading to the world of the ancient Legends Tribe.

It was impossible to predict which brothers would appear through Black Light Call.

Even if an ordinary warrior were summoned, it would still be a significant help to turn the tide of the battle.

Jin focused his mind and completed the special technique.

Then, Jin couldn't help but smile in relief as a brother emerged from the black gate.

The one who came out of the gate was Rinpa, the Fourth Battle King.

"It's been... a long time, Brother Jin. I... have won."

It had been a short time since he started speaking again, so Rinpa's speech was somewhat choppy.

However, his few words contained a deep and powerful aura that made everyone present on the battlefield turn their attention to the outer wall.

Who is that person?

Could it be a new enemy...?

No, he's with Jin Runcandel.

He seems to be an ally.

But still, where did he suddenly appear from?

As the warriors exchanged glances and opinions, Rinpa drew an enormous sword from his back.

Wissh!

Even though he had just unsheathed his sword, a strong sword wind spread in all directions.

"I apologize for summoning you, Sister Rinpa."

"No... I'm fine. Are... they enemies?"

Rinpa pointed his enormous sword at the battleship Grenille and Berakt.

"What do you want... Brother Jin."

"To completely annihilate my enemies."

Rinpa nodded in response to the firm answer.

"I understand..."

The battleship Grenille was reloading its cannons.

Ron exerted his strength to block the cannon shots, and Berakt couldn't take his eyes off Rinpa.

'That's... the Legends Tribe the leader talked about,' Berakt thought to himself.

It was the first time he felt such a strange emotion.

He had never seen a Legend before, let alone fought one. He had only heard of their tremendous power and had not experienced it personally.

Even so, it was enough for him to feel a wave of nausea and his body hair standing on end.

He was completely sure that if it had been other White Wolf Tribe warriors instead of him, their legs would have given in.

A terrible sense of crisis weighed on his body.

He hadn't felt a hint of fear even when facing Ron Hairan, but now, even Berakt experienced terror.

'Damn it...! I am Berakt Sidricker, the great warrior of the White Wolf Tribe. I shouldn't be so afraid of someone like this.'

Haa!

Berakt roared with determination and shook off the fear. His heart was now filled with anger towards Rinpa, not fear.

"I am... Rinpa, the Fourth Battle King of the Illustrious Legends Tribe."

The cannon was aiming and ready, and everyone on the battlefield braced for the imminent explosion.

However, Rinpa continued calmly, as if nothing unusual was happening.

"I answered my brother's call... and came here.... My duty is.... to be his sword. As for my enemies..."

Leave your final words.

Bam!

When Rinpa finished speaking, the battleship's cannon unleashed its devastating beam and painted the ground blue.