C741
The lone black panther, which was engulfed in the Eternal Fla, spread the flas to dozens of other black panthers.
"The Eternal Fla does not move as I desire...!"
—You have reached the realm that Sarah longed for, and yet you claim you cannot control your fla? That cannot be true, so hurry and attack . Just a scratch!—
These were the words Jin heard from Bale after discovering the Eternal Fla.
Naturally, the Eternal Fla is the fire that follows Jin's will.
If Jin wishes it to burn, even if he dies, it will continue burning without extinguishing, and if he wishes it to fade, it will instantly go out.
However, the Eternal Fla was already deviating from that rule, starting from the first black panther.
It had ford a fire much greater than Jin had intended.
The Eternal Fla was not completely disregarding Jin's will.
It just wasn't under perfect control, as usual.
There were far more flas spreading randomly, joining with Jin's will, than flas extinguishing at Jin's command.
"Did the evil god prepare this after Elder Brother Dyfus suffered the Eternal Flas...?"
It was true.
The evil god was using the "never extinguishing characteristic" of the Eternal Fla against Jin.
The evil god did not know exactly to what extent Jin could perfectly control the Eternal Fla, but it was certain that it was not infinite.
Therefore, intentionally using the chaos and resentnt Jin harbored as a catalyst to multiply the flas seed like a way to pressure Jin, and that plan was hitting the mark perfectly.
The resentnt Jin held towards the evil god was so deep and imnse that even Jin himself couldn't comprehend it.
That resentnt was making the Eternal Fla burn even fiercer.
Even now, the resentnt continued to grow, making it impossible to stop the spread of the countless Eternal Flas.
Moreover, right now, the horrific annihilation of the young Rosa had further enraged Jin.
[Krgh!]
[Kihiing...!]
Every ti the screams of the black panthers were heard, chunks of the ground lted away.
As the group reached the third underground floor, they found themselves isolated, with the surroundings already lting away.
They could also see so panthers falling to the next floor one by one.
The panthers were burning with the Eternal Fla, lting the lower floors.
"If we keep falling like this, will the evil god be at the bottom?"
There was no choice.
Jin could not stop the rapidly increasing fire, and they couldn't go back up.
The group had no choice but to keep plunging downward as they had just done.
Jin briefly explained to his companions the fact that the Eternal Fla was not under control and the reasons behind it.
"...I wasn't using the Eternal Fla. For now, it seems we can only hold on and descend. I've been completely defeated."
"Don't bla yourself. It was inevitable. And in my opinion, even if you hadn't used the Eternal Fla, those panthers would have pressured us endlessly in so way. Perhaps the evil god prepared them to keep regenerating until you used the Eternal Fla," Hedo said. ℟𝘢ꞐỔΒÊŞ
—Truly, I have witnessed an extraordinary sword. If you were in my ti, the protection of the Holy Kingdom would have been much easier. But, Twelfth Flagbearer, sothing feels strange in the evil god's plot.—
"What do you an?"
—The evil god's chaos is not infinite. I know that for certain since I was trapped inside it. How much chaos do you think it would take to create a single black panther? I don't know for sure, but it must require a considerable amount. And she is burning hundreds, thousands of them.—
Jin's control over the Eternal Fla was limited, just as the evil god's chaos was.
—That's why I suspect the evil god is using the Eternal Fla not only to trap us but also to test herself... to see if she can handle the ever-growing power of the Eternal Fla.—
"Why would the evil god go to such extres...?"
At Octavia's question, Hedo shook his head.
"Considering the evil god's obsession with Jin, it seems likely, Spectre Captain. Perhaps it isn't even a test for herself, but simply a desire to observe Jin's sword."
"I... think the sa."
"Everyone, hold on tight. The ground is collapsing completely."
At that mont, the entire third underground floor had completely lted.
The black panthers were no longer visible, as they had fallen to the lower floors.
Jin began to feel fear, slowly but intensely.
Of course, he did not fear fighting the evil god.
What if this Eternal Fla keeps spreading... and harms our allies?
The people with him were not a problem.
They were a small group, and each one was an exceptional martial artist.
But if the Eternal Fla continued to spread and started attacking friendly forces elsewhere, it would be a completely different story.
Bale said that even Orgal couldn't control the Eternal Fla at will. If the Eternal Fla starts attacking our allies at this rate, catastrophic damage would be inevitable.
That thought troubled Jin throughout the descent.
Even though he had anticipated this possibility, it felt like a thorn in his throat.
It wasn't easy to shake off the feeling that the evil god was toying with them in the palm of her hand.
Certainly.
This battle was different from any other.
After the regression, Jin had defeated countless enemies, and none had shaken him to this extent.
The descent did not end quickly, as it had just begun.
It seed that the black panthers were lting the ground faster than the group was descending.
It was clear they were continuously moving downward.
As the descent dragged on, the sensation of aura and mana interference grew stronger for the group.
Since most had suffered injuries, the perception was even greater.
Finally, Octavia was the first to lose consciousness. Hedo and Alpen were short of breath, and even Bianca, who had suffered the least damage, occasionally sighed to catch her breath.
anwhile, the superhumans did not let go of their hands.
Jin kept thinking.
How could he protect his companions?
Among the allies were most of the people he cherished the most.
Perhaps the labyrinth of the evil god's castle had already moved the Eternal Fla to the place where his companions were.
Every ti he imagined them consud by the Eternal Fla, a chill ran down his spine.
As if soone were directly depicting that scene in his mind and injecting it into his thoughts, he couldn't stop imagining it.
Can I protect them all? Can we all return without any casualties? We're already so helpless, trapped in the trap before even engaging in direct combat with the evil god.
Negative thoughts tend to intensify over ti.
The more difficult the situation, the more terrifying they beco.
—Twelfth Flagbearer... What are you doing?—
Suddenly, Alpen spoke.
He had been drifting in and out of consciousness.
"Alpen-nim, are you okay?"
—Hold my hand tighter. I don't have enough strength left.—
Alpen's words provided an answer to Jin.
I'm not the only one who can protect them.
We protect each other.
Jin had already realized this during the battle in his inner world.
He had montarily forgotten it due to the urgency of the situation.
"I am grateful that soone like you, Ancestor, is still here."
Once again, his mind instantly cleared.
With every mont that his disoriented mind settled, Jin felt as though he was moving a step away from the evil god's intentions.
The allied forces have Valeria.
She could use her Record Magic to detect the threat of the Eternal Fla before anyone else.
Likewise, Beradin, who had recently learned similar Record Magic, could do the sa, and beings like Orgal and Bale could minimize the damage to the allies.
Dante could unleash his Invisible Sword Style to contain the approaching Eternal Fla, Quikantel could exercise her authority to buy so ti, and Syris's Full Ice could seal the Eternal Fla.
Though nothing could stop the Eternal Fla completely.
In any case, the allies and companions would do everything in their power to escape the Eternal Fla.
Not just to survive but to prevent Jin from falling into the sorrow of killing them.
They would flee with that determination.
It was a fight they couldn't win without trusting each other, without believing in themselves.
Even if that ant that starting tomorrow, they would be in a relationship of adversaries where one side had to destroy the other, today, they had to fight sincerely together.
That was the part Jin lacked the most.
Until the decisive battle, Jin had confronted them for the future war against the evil god.
Starting tomorrow, even if it turned into a feud where one side had to perish, today, they had to fight wholeheartedly together.
Slowly, Jin's expression, distorted by an inner pain he wasn't even aware of, returned to normal.
The descent had co to an end.
When Jin landed on the ground, creating a gust with his sword, the first thing that appeared in his sight was the misty, engulfed land.
Black panthers burned everywhere. They were far fewer than those Jin had seen on the third underground floor.
It was unclear whether the rest had turned to ashes due to the Eternal Fla or if they had fallen into another space in the labyrinth.
The ground was no longer lting. It ant that the group had finally reached the central part of the Evil God's Castle, the lowest floor.
...Is this the center of the lowest floor? The flas grow stronger as we advance in that direction.
Jin looked towards where the Eternal Fla was expanding.
Hedo was carrying Octavia and the forr patriarch, while Bianca carried Alpen.
As Jin began to walk, the Eternal Fla split into two and ford a path.
The flas seed to speak to him, guiding him in the direction.
Jin walked between his own flas.
No matter how far he walked, the flas grew fiercer, indicating the vast extent of the Eternal Fla.
The aura, mana, and golden power were felt from afar.
His companions had fallen to the lowest floor a bit before Jin.
However, Jin did not beco impatient.
It didn't seem that his companions had died from the Eternal Fla.
Nevertheless, he quickened his pace.
The flas flickered wildly, opening up like a gust of wind, and soon Jin found himself face-to-face with the allied fleet surrounded by the Eternal Fla.
A colossal Eternal Fla swept over the allies like a tidal wave.
In the midst of the flas, there was palpable chaos, but as Jin approached, the chaos receded to the opposite side of the blue wall of flas.
Jin instinctively knew that the evil god was there, behind the retreating chaos, within the barrier of flas.
Finally, when Jin unleashed his own flas, driving back the Eternal Fla, his companions in battle appeared.
They had been fiercely resisting the Eternal Fla from within.
Seeing the flas open, so of them imdiately took up a fighting stance, thinking it was an intrusion of chaos, but upon confirming that it was Jin, they let out a sigh of relief.
There were also those who collapsed, as if all their strength had been exhausted.
[Jin Runcandel, is that you?]
It was Orgal's voice.
He was barely holding up a shattered shield, completely exhausted. He had no energy left to look at Jin.
If Jin had been a little slower, if he had regained his composure a little later...
The vortex of Eternal Flas that had trapped his companions would have killed them all like ants in a fist.
"Yes, I am the Twelfth Flagbearer, Jin Runcandel. I will rejoin you from now on."
/SHADOWK
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