Chapter 945

## Chapter 945

“Ridolos Trinak! I can’t help but doubt my ears. Have you also succumbed to Zito’s evil in the end? And have you become corrupted like Paellito?”

“Hahaha! Paellito, that poor fool became Zito’s lapdog because of his obsession with Sakiel. And it was precisely that obsession that led him to be defeated at the hands of Jin Runcandel. Don’t even compare me to such a pathetic soul.”

*Whooong!*

Ridolos lunged towards Basset and swung his greatsword. A burst of sword energy erupted, and the scattered corpses on the ground were lifted and exploded.

Basset deflected the attack, and Tilias and Misol simultaneously attacked Ridolos from his sides. However, Ridolos didn’t evade them and continued to pressure Basset.

Tilias’ sword accurately pierced his side, but it didn’t go deep, and Misol’s powerful punch bounced off harmlessly.

“Kuk! So, it’s not Zito but… *Kelliark Zipple*?!”

“Well, I’ve never really considered the idea of serving under humans. But I saw a possibility in him.”

“A possibility?”

“A real opportunity to free this land from Zito! He’s fundamentally different from Visepps. You chase an ambitious dream, and when it doesn’t work, you go far beyond simply taking advantage of the immense energy of the human world. I seek not only liberation but also a future beyond that.”

“You’re crazy. You abandoned all the comrades you fought with for so many years for that reason!”

“I’m not the one who’s crazy; it’s all of you. What do you expect to achieve by destroying the artificial sun? Even if you manage to win, the True Demon World will be nothing but a desolate wasteland without any light. There’s no immortal who can live in this world without the sun, Basset. Kelliark has the means to defeat Zito without relying on the artificial sun.”

“So, are you saying that we should become Kelliark’s lackeys even now?”

“No, you’re unnecessary in the new True Demon World. I know very well what kind of people you are. You’re just a desperate and powerless struggle that continued for even ten thousand years… So, after the True Demon World is freed with Kelliark’s help, then it’s certain that we will confront Kelliark. It’s not even easy to eradicate them all like the ancient Melka Tribe.”

“Kelliark’s rise simply means that another Zito will be born in the True Demon World…!”

“Well, that’s much better than gaining freedom by destroying the artificial sun. Besides, even if he fuses with a god, he will eventually die like a human, and from then on, the True Demon World will give way to a new era.”

Basset was being pushed back throughout the entire conversation.

Basset had been Ridolos’ master for quite a while. Therefore, he was able to mitigate the considerable gap in their abilities to some extent, but he could only buy time.

Of course, including Misol and Tilias, they could pose some threat to Ridolos.

However, Basset was more concerned about the ordinary members who were far behind them. Ridolos noticed this and smirked.

“Don’t worry. I won’t fight using the ordinary members. There’s no reason for me to do that against you, right? After all, we have some history.”

“Ridolos…!”

“But it’s inevitable that they will be involved and die in the aftermath. So, fight well while protecting them. It’s a strange situation, isn’t it? You don’t hesitate to plunge the True Demon World into darkness by destroying the artificial sun, but you’re so desperate to protect about a million non-combatants.”

*Swoosh, crack!*

Ridolos swung his greatsword like a club and sent Basset flying. Meanwhile, Misol aimed a punch at the back of Ridolos’ head, but he turned and deflected it with his horn.

“Ugh!”

“Misol, you little rascal. Are you trying to kill me with punches? Your fists alone won’t do much.”

“You son of a bitch, how can you treat us like this?! You’re either under the influence of the inner demon or you’ve been brainwashed!”

“What drives me is the belief in protecting the True Demon World. Until now, following Visepps was the best option. But now, I’m sacrificing a few for the greater good.”

“Haha! Kelliark Zipple will never rule the True Demon World. Even if he did, he’s one of Jin Runcandel’s greatest enemies. The True Demon World will become a battlefield again if Jin Runcandel and Kelliark fight!”

Ridolos shook his head at that statement, as if it were absurd.

“What are you talking about, Misol? You have a strange way of speaking. You used to have a good head, but now you act like a fool. How can Jin Runcandel fight Kelliark?”

“What did you say?”

“Zito, empowered by the artificial sun, is a monster that even Paellito at his peak couldn’t face. So, how could that human defeat him? Today, Jin Runcandel will die. Therefore, the True Demon World won’t become the battlefield of those two, so die peacefully.”

“I will never die at your hands!”

Basset took advantage of the momentary delay provided by Misol and approached Tilias to give her an order.

“Protect Silkia at all costs, Tilias. If you can’t find a way, then just take Silkia and escape, you and Misol.”

***

“[Until now, we haven’t encountered anyone we can call an enemy.]”

Jin and his group had already passed through the An Family’s castle, as Orgal mentioned, and were heading towards Zito’s residence.

Although it had been almost a day since they entered Hell, the group hadn’t engaged in a single battle.

Occasionally, they encountered armies of demons driven mad by mind control, but they didn’t engage them. There was no reason for senseless slaughter.

Even if they hadn’t fought each other and had combined their forces to oppose Jin, it wouldn’t have meant much. The difference between them was too great for a proper fight to occur.

Instead, Jin extended his regenerative authority like lighting a fire upon the corpses of demons.

That light would continue to serve as a beacon for the approaching forces, even if Jin began to fight Zito.

“It’s a bad sign. It means that an entire world is being mercilessly ravaged by Zito.”

Jin could feel death spreading relentlessly everywhere. As a result, the pain generated continued to flow towards Zito.

Then, it occurred to him that one of the Visepps family members should have appeared. The Visepps faction had promised to send someone when Jin reached Hell during their last contact.

“It doesn’t seem like the Visepps family is controlled by Zito like the others.”

“I think the same, Jin. The Visepps family was the only group in the True Demon World that wasn’t originally brainwashed by Zito.”

“I thought the Visepps family had managed to escape each time by luck or coincidence until now. But now, I have a feeling that they might have some means to prevent brainwashing or mind control.”

“There must be a reason why they haven’t appeared before us to provide information, if we assume that the Visepps family hasn’t become berserkers like the other demons thanks to those means.”

“Yes, Valeria. It seems something has gone wrong on their part.”

“Could they have betrayed us?”

Jin shook his head at Bale’s question.

“We can’t completely rule it out, but from what I’ve seen, they’re not the kind of people who would do that. If they were planning to betray us, there have been many better opportunities.”

“[Hmm, then what should we do? We had agreed that we would receive detailed information on how to kill Zito when we entered Hell.]”

“We need to find them. And we must help them if they’re in a desperate situation.”

“[Ah, for some reason, I have a feeling that this troublesome task will fall to Lord Murakan.]”

Jin nodded.

“We have no other options, so you must go.”

“[What? I have no information about the Visepps’ hideout, and I barely know the geography of the True Demon World. Where am I supposed to go and how? At least give me some clues. We have the Histor, but this is like finding a needle in a haystack.]”

“Then, the three of you should go.”

Jin pointed forward.

The entrance to Zito’s residence could be seen in the distance. It was a gigantic circular dimensional portal, and it had the power to absorb all objects around it, even if they were simply floating in the air.

“Are you sure you’ll be alright alone?”

Murakan didn’t ask that question anymore like he used to. After all, the plague gods sealed in Bascala couldn’t face Jin. Excluding the forces stopped by Kelliark, the only entity in the vast True Demon World that could threaten Jin was Zito himself.

“[Alright, understood. When do we see each other again?]”

“Exactly 24 hours from now. You must return within that time, whether you’ve found the Visepps or not. We will decide what to do next once you return.”

“[So, you’ll stay here and wait for us while dealing with the guys sealed in Bascala?]”

“Yes, I plan to meditate while I wait.”

“[…..Meditate?]”

At the unexpected word, the group turned to look at Jin and then at each other.

“It’s a battle against a god, so I think I need to hone myself once more before the final battle begins. I heard that even Sister Vahn always meditated before going into battle when she had to kill some powerful gods during the great war against the gods.”

“[If it’s the words of the strongest mortal in history, as recognized by Ayula, then it must be the right thing to do.]”

“And there’s a sword I want to master. I’ve wanted to learn it from the moment I first saw it, but I couldn’t gather the courage to do so until I became a Genesis Knight.”

“[Oh, what sword are you talking about? Is it the God of Battle Vahn’s sword?]”

Jin smiled and shook his head.

“No, it’s Temar’s sword.”

Murakan’s eyes widened.

“[Wait, are you talking about the Sun Splitter?]”

The Sun Splitter, the ultimate magic sword technique Runcandel seen in Kaytam’s painting.

According to the records in the painting, Solderet had described the Sun Splitter as a sword that could cut him even if it just touched him.

And Jin believed that he was right.

A complete Sun Splitter could potentially kill every immortal being in the world.

“The fact that the sword is called the Sun Splitter… It might have some connection with the sun god.”

Jin locked eyes with Murakan.

“You might have some unpleasant memories related to that sword, but it’s necessary. As a martial artist, I’ve coveted it as well.”

“[Unpleasant memories? Haha! Don’t worry about that. Anyway, you could say that the sword is Temar’s most prized legacy. It suits you, kid.]”

“Thanks for saying that.”

“[But, kid, I’ve told you before. Temar is still superior to you in terms of pure swordsmanship potential. Even though you’ve acquired the wisdom of the Genesis knight, you won’t be able to master it with just one day of meditation. Temar also put a lot of effort into using it.]”

Jin nodded, a sly smile forming on his face.

“You’re right; it will probably take a long time to master, and I might never achieve it. But for now, I just need to be able to finish off Zito. I have a feeling that that’s possible. Temar probably did everything he could to wield this sword even before becoming a Genesis knight, but I’m not Temar.”