Chapter 953

C953

The venom was seeping through Jin’s cheek wound.  If not for the Thousand-Poison Antidote and the Genesis Knight’s physique, his cheek would have melted away, creating a gaping hole. Jin quickly distanced himself from Zito again and stared intently.

‘Hmph, is this because of the crap Ayula did to me? Though she touched my thorns, it seems it was only grazed by an ordinary sword.’

Zito recalled the choice Ayula made the day she briefly descended to the Holy Kingdom. It was true he’d lost some of his power, around 20% to 30%, as a result. But Zito hadn’t thought this would come back to haunt him now, but seeing Jin unharmed made him feel uneasy for no reason.

As this subspace was an extension of Zito himself, it responded according to his inner state. A vague sense of unease washed over him, causing more thorns to form within the subspace. Thorns sprouted everywhere, even in the ravaged landscape and imposing black rocks.

Thorns even emerged where Jin stood.

However, Jin didn’t try to avoid the thorns. The thorns were crushed by Jin’s golden energy before they could rise from the ground.

“Seems you’re the type who gets chatty when scared.”

“[Ha?]”

“I’ve sensed it even when I came here. You’ve been driving the demons mad to gather the power of pain in order to confront me.”

“[Ah, it might seem that way. But, the reason I had my babies eat each other wasn’t because of you. It’s just… a process to reach the end.]”

“The end, huh… Are you talking about the new world where the order of pain you pursue has arrived?”

“[Exactly, that’s it. What do you think about pain, Jin Runcandel?]”

Zito’s eyes, which had constantly shown a playful and casual demeanor, hardened for the first time.

“Well, I’ve never really thought about it.”

“[Pain ultimately leads subjects to fall into a state of anattā. When the order of pain prevails in the world, there’s no need for insignificant comparisons like who is superior or inferior.]”

[T/L: 무아 – anattā (“Anattā” means “not-self” or “absence of self” in Buddhism).]

“So, you want to cleanse the world through pain.”

Jin remembered Kinzelo suddenly. Zito and Kinzelo didn’t seem so different in their pursuit of the ‘completeness’ they bestowed upon the world.

“[You could say it’s a kind of purification. I was born in pain, after all. I am the manifestation of the pain experienced by the Sun God Kinzelo, the true king and creator of life.]”

Zito slung the thorn axe over his shoulder. The thorns dug into his flesh, tearing it and bursting with a sickening sound.

“[So, it can be safely said that there’s no one in this world who understands the essence of pain better than I. I made countless attempts to free myself from pain in the early days of my existence.]”

“Well, then it seems you’ve developed quite an unusual taste for deriving pleasure from pain.”

“[Taste is a matter of choice. In my case, I had no choice. Can you imagine living a normal life while submerged in boiling water every day? Even the term ‘boiling water’ is just a simple term for you to understand. The pain I’ve endured cannot be expressed with words or letters.]”

“It’s a pity I don’t feel the slightest sympathy for you, to be honest.”

“[What I’m trying to say is that I believe this world should feel pain as much as I do. And everyone should be consumed by an endless, deep sea of pain until they forget themselves.]”

“So, we’ll remain conscious and just be your plaything?”

“[Exactly. But the reason I chose you as a plaything wasn’t just because you seem appetizing… it’s similar to why I chose Orgal as my successor.]”

“Orgal?”

“[He possesses the ability to recognize distortion in the world. In other words, he can sense when parts of the world are being erased or changed by someone or some phenomenon.]”

– “[Fate can be quite cruel sometimes… just like your god. Isn’t that right? Murakan?]”

– “[…How do you know about this place, and how did you suddenly arrive here?]”

– “[I’m aware of most things in this world that have been erased or altered. You know that, right?]”

Jin recalled the conversation between Murakan and Orgal he’d overheard in Temar’s second tomb. In that record, Orgal had mentioned a way to save Temar.

“[When the age of pain arrives, the world will suffer many distortions beyond my control. As the witch said… That’s why I need someone who can perceive the truth and correct the errors at that time. Originally, I thought only Orgal could do it, but I changed my mind after seeing you. The age of pain can only be completed with Orgal and you.]”

“I see. So, the complicated explanation is finally over?”

Though Jin called it a complicated explanation, he now understood Zito’s purpose as an immortal.

He just wants revenge on the world.

That’s why he had no use for the subjects under his rule and used the demons as expendable tools. And in the future, he had no intention of sparing any life form in the world.

‘The errors he spoke of probably refer to variables that could threaten the order of pain. And he wants to use Orgal and me as a failsafe to eliminate such variables.’

Jin got goosebumps thinking about it.

Zito wasn’t flawed like the evil god born from Rosa, nor was he divided like the Black Sea Kings. He was the purest and most colossal embodiment of madness among all the formidable opponents Jin had encountered.

“[You can’t stop me, Jin Runcandel. Your will is commendable, but ultimately, you are not as complete as I am. I am the product of the pain and resentment Kinzelo experienced while creating and nurturing the world. I am a culmination of agony that has continued since the beginning.]”

*Whack!* Zito materialized his body to Jin’s right and swung the thorn axe. The moment Sigmund and the thorn axe clashed, the golden energy imbued in the sword temporarily dissipated.

Zito had a mischievous expression again. However, the thorn axe became even more ferocious, and its venom intensified.

Jin also increased his energy in response, but there was a limitation.

‘I need to create an opening to execute a Sun Splitter with full power, but doing so consumes a lot of energy…’

That was the problem.

This battle required expending a lot of energy in the process, or it wouldn’t reach its conclusion.

‘I miss Murakan. If he were here, we could create an opening without straining too much. Instead of seeking a short-term solution, perhaps waiting for Murakan to arrive and conserving my energy would be better.’

If Jin chose the short-term solution as he initially planned, he might risk not having enough strength to use the Sun Splitter properly, while the long-term solution had the risk of Murakan not arriving at this place in time.

At this moment, Jin didn’t think of anything innovative.

‘According to Zito, Murakan and his group are currently facing Kelliark. It’s uncertain if Murakan would still be in fighting condition afterwards… Ha, things have become quite grueling.’

Soon, Jin reached a conclusion.

The golden energy spreading around Jin began to become fiercer.

‘There’s no chance of victory if I don’t seize the opportunity to use the Sun Splitter. I don’t know what might happen while waiting for my allies to arrive.’

He doesn’t know how much strength would be needed to create a gap against Zito. In the end, victory was impossible if Jin couldn’t tire him out.

“[Oh, it seems you finally have the resolve to fight properly? Well, being too picky isn’t very cool!]”

Jin charged at Zito with Sigmund as he spoke. His Light Speed Thrust left a brilliant trail in the air as it pierced through Zito’s chest.

Zito responded by swinging the thorn axe at Jin. Jin pressed on, sometimes deflecting thorns coming from the sides, narrowly avoiding Zito’s attacks each time.

The spreading pain continued to gnaw at his body like a tumor, but Jin’s movements remained unfaltering.

In fact, whenever he had some free time, Jin opened the sky using his Heavenly Slash. He did this because he knew Zito was aware of the abyss.

“[Don’t strain yourself trying to glimpse the abyss. Do you think I’d become a fool because of that? It’s just a little annoying, hehehe.]”

*Creak!* The shockwave of the golden energy caused one of Zito’s thorns to break off and pierce Jin’s thigh.

It didn’t go too deep due to being repelled by the golden energy. Jin pulled out the thorn, which had only penetrated about an inch, and rushed towards Zito again.

‘I’m starting to get tired, but my movements are getting faster and faster… Is this what a Genesis Knight is usually like? I didn’t feel this way when I faced Paellito back then.’

Jin didn’t do much calculation to face Zito from the beginning.

Even when he sought Hell, he only brought Murakan, Valeria, and Bale with him, and he didn’t panic even when the battle with Zito suddenly began.

On the other hand, Zito had been continuously predicting Jin Runcandel, the human, all this time. He’d been gauging Jin’s strength, abilities, and will, to the point where he started to underestimate him.

However, Zito’s thoughts had been consistently wrong since the battle began. Jin, who was undoubtedly weaker than Paellito in his prime, clung to him with more tenacity.

Zito didn’t necessarily dislike this side of Jin. It meant Jin is exceptional, and he might be more reliable in correcting the errors that will appear when the Order of Pain comes to fruition.

“[It seems quite some time has passed. I’ve lost track of time. I think at least two days have passed. Can you hold out for one more day? Jin Runcandel?]”

“I’ll admit you were right if you’re still alive after one more day.”

Just as Jin replied, Zito absentmindedly looked towards the sky. Thanks to this, Jin decapitated him once, but it wasn’t a problem for Zito, as he couldn’t die anyway.

The problem was the fact that the sky had opened and revealed the abyss.

This time, the sky wasn’t opened by Jin. The sky was opened by someone from outside.

‘Oh, what’s this all of a sudden?’

Jin realized too late that the abyss had opened.

‘That person…!?’

A person appeared in the subspace descending through the abyss. This was someone Jin had never anticipated.

“Patriarch! Is it really you? Patriarch…!”

It was Elona Zipple, and she was screaming desperately in rage.