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Once again, Jin attempted to raise the lightning energy of the Illuminating Heart, but the result remained the same. For the first time since earning the recognition of the Plutonian tribe, he was experiencing like his lightning energy had completely disappeared.
After a moment, the Illuminating Heart lost all of its light and turned dark.
'Could it be that the lightning was blocked when Bascala grazed my cheek?'
Jin adjusted his stance with a composed expression, but in reality, he was struggling to find the right words.
He was shocked to realize that the power he had always believed to be entirely his own, was in fact an authority bestowed upon him by the Plutonian tribe. Furthermore, Paellito had effortlessly blocked that power.
Jin's companions were also starting to notice the issue that Jin was facing.
Losing the lightning energy meant that he could no longer use his most potent sword technique, the Plutonian Reign sword. There was a high possibility that he wouldn't be able to create variables through the Plutonian Reign sword anymore.
"...You deliberately blocked the lightning now, didn't you? You did that to catch me off guard."
"How does it feel to be an ordinary human after a long time?"
"Just because the lightning energy momentarily disappeared doesn't mean I've become a different person."
Paellito sneered.
"I will see if that's really the case."
Clang!
Dante's blow barely missed Paellito's nose. Simultaneously, Hedo tried to cut Paellito's back, but he had already turned and kicked Hedo away.
Murakan was unable to find time to use the True Manifestation of Shadows.
A barrage of black chains and purple spears from mimicked shadow force shield was assaulting him, in addition to Paellito's sword energy relentlessly pressuring Murakan.
'Darn it...! At this rate, I can't properly support the kid. If this demon monster is so powerful even after brainwashing, then how in the world was he before?'
On the surface, it looked like the four were pressuring one, but in reality, it was quite opposite. It was Paellito who was constantly pressuring the four.
Jin and his companions realized that Paellito had no openings at all. Even when they tried to exploit a small opening, their attacks never succeeded, and Paellito always managed to break through Jin's defenses.
Jin felt like he was in a one-on-one battle. Every time he changed his view to follow Paellito's movements, he couldn't see his companions anywhere.
It was like fighting someone in a dream.
His body was growing heavier by the moment. Every time he faced Paellito's killing intent, it felt like dozens of snakes were writhing inside him and they seemed ready to bite through his organs and skin at any moment.
'Could it be that Bascala has the ability to drain stamina? The speed at which I'm running out of breath is too fast...!'
Huff, huff!
With each breath, his throat felt raspy. Jin felt like his throat was clogged, and an unpleasant metallic taste was scratching at his nerves.
A strong body that could fight for days on end, executing consecutive decisive killing moves and secret techniques, had quickly drained out of stamina. It felt like a disease he had never experienced in this life was tormenting his body.
Paellito's sword, thrusting into Jin's field of vision, was moving much faster than before. In reality, it wasn't the sword that had become faster, but rather Jin's reaction speed had slowed down accordingly.
"Ugh!"
Clang!
In no time, Jin bent forward and coughed up blood.
Backflow.
The aura inside Jin's body becomes unstable because of backflow. No matter how you looked at it, it wasn't easy for Jin to hide his panic. His body, which had overcome its limits several times before, was crumbling in this brief battle.
Soon, Jin realized the reason.
'It's because of the Illuminating Heart...!'
The Illuminating Heart was not just a storage container for the lightning energy.
It was clearly one of the parts of Jin's body. Since one of the two hearts that usually supported his body had completely lost its function, severe stamina depletion was inevitable.
It was fortunate that it ended with stamina depletion. If the Illuminating Heart had been transplanted to affect more aspects of Jin's life sustaining organs, the battle would have already been over.
"Do you still think Jin Runcandel is Jin Runcandel even without the Illuminating Heart? Feel it; that is your reality. When the surplus of power disappears, you're just a human swordsman."
Thwack!
Paellito's thrust sent Jin flying far across the plain. Before even Jin could hit the ground, demonic energy shot out like icicles from the ground where Jin was about to land.
The demonic energy swept over Jin's clothes and skin. Although there were no severe injuries, blood splattered from his entire body, and due to the drained stamina, Jin couldn't help but notice the extent of the bleeding.
And on top of that, the Netherworld Sword interfered with his senses once again.
"Just a human swordsman."
Whoosh!
Jin spat out blood and changed his sword to Bradamente, a sword mainly used when unleashing the Shadow Sword. However, just like Sigmund, Jin was unable to infuse Bradamente with shadow force.
The shadow force merely briefly surrounded the sword and dissipated like pieces of paper scatter into air.
'...As expected, the shadow force is blocked too.'
Since he had already anticipated this, Jin wasn't as flustered as he had been with the Illuminating Heart. Furthermore, the shadow force didn't directly affect Jin's physical condition like the Illuminating Heart, so the stamina depleting issue didn't escalate.
However, the backflow had already begun.
Jin's comrades were aware that Jin needed time to recover from the backflow. They couldn't afford to let Paellito keep targeting Jin like this.
That's why his comrades had to prepare for more dangerous moves, even at the cost of injuries. But Jin excluded Murakan from that plan.
"Murakan! Don't do it; if you made contact with Paellito's sword, your shadow force will be blocked."
Unlike his usual self, Murakan immediately followed Jin's advice.
Now was not the time to shout with pride like, I couldn't do that as a guardian dragon.
If he lost his shadow force now, the battle would become even more challenging.
Moreover, it wasn't just the damaged Ayula's protective barrier and the shattered Talaris's great ice shield that were visible in the sky.
Another larger fracture was forming next to the fracture from which Paellito emerged. It was larger than any fracture that had appeared in the human world so far.
The demons would emerge from that fracture.
The demons, who tore apart the people of the Holy Kingdom and killed those who tried to protect them, and sought to take away what humanity wanted to protect, would pour out in even greater numbers from this new fracture.
-It's probably because of Zito's Eye.
-Yes, Ms. Cuicantelle. According to the information provided by Visepps, the current strongest beings in the True Demon World are Paellito, who is presumed to be Genesis Knight despite being brainwashed... and following him are Ridolos and Videluce. Zito will undoubtedly order them to retrieve his eye.
Originally, the alliance didn't believe that Zito would send only Paellito. They expected that the two demons known to be on par with Paellito would also invade with their troops.
Even for the sake of preparing for that, Murakan's shadow force had to remain intact. Among the members of the alliance, no one could more efficiently prevent the indiscriminate mass slaughter than Murakan.
"Damn it! Dante, aim for his body!"
"Ahhhh!"
Dante instantly gathered all his strength to unleash ten beams of the Heaven-Splitting Sword.
Among them, nine were neutralized by the demonic energy and the duplicated Ayula's spears. One of the spears grazed Dante's side. Even as his own body was cut, Dante raised another whirlwind of the Invisible Sword Wind to protect Jin once more.
Even Paellito couldn't perfectly predict the Invisible Sword. The last Heaven-Splitting Sword, shrouded in the Invisible Sword Wind, finally stabbed Paellito in the back.
"Ugh, ugh...!"
Dante felt dizzy as he avoided the spear flying at him, and while struggling, he confirmed that the Heaven-Splitting Sword hit its target perfectly.
However, the Heaven-Splitting Sword did not pierce through Paellito's back. Paellito's posture momentarily collapsed, and blood sprayed from his slashed back, but the wound was not deep.
In the meantime, Hedo was charging at Paellito. He had created a massive sword like a tidal wave, covering Paellito's front.
First, the sword storm swept Paellito away like a hurricane. The debris and the blood spurting from Paellito's body momentarily blocked his vision, and Hedo seized the moment when his vision was completely blocked, unleashing his full strength.
The shock of that impact caused the Hedo's sword energy and the Formless Sword Wind to scatter in all directions, and an eardrum-bursting roar rang in all directions.
Immediately after his vision was cleared, Hedo faced Paellito's red eyes staring at him. He saw Paellito block his sword with Bascala.
"You must have been proud of your strength."
"Ugh!"
"I guess it's because you are lucky enough to be born with the power of the sun god. Today, I will kill you and eliminate one of the disorders left by the old order."
The power of the Sun God's fragment was undoubtedly authority, but it couldn't be blocked by Bascala's power. You couldn't extinguish light with light.
Paellito narrowed his brow as if displeased. It was not because he could not reduce Hedo's strength with Bascala, but he was displeased because Hedo had dared to face him head-on with the power he had obtained from the Sun God.
Crackle...!
A primitive power struggle ensued, and it didn't take long for the results to become apparent.
Hedo began to stagger backward.
The giant who had never been pushed back in a power struggle, not even once, was now trembling, gnashing his teeth, and sweating profusely. Every joint in his body was throbbing like crazy.
"Urggh...!"
"I will destroy the power of the sun god which has not even awakened."
If Hedo had persisted a little longer, his arms would have undoubtedly given out.
However, upon recognizing the gap, Hedo immediately withdrew and assumed a defensive stance. Naturally, and the moment Hedo lost his balance, Paellito thrust his sword at Hedo's neck.
Dante was already moving to help Hedo, but Paellito was faster. Hedo, in an unstable posture, managed to parry Bascala, but it cost him his sword, Boulder.
Then, Paellito throw Hedo's sword away and the moment he was about to stab Hedo into heart...
Beep...!
Paellito suddenly felt a tinnitus ringing in his head and lowered his sword. His eyes, as if he had gazed directly at the sun, burned with pain. Of course, such pain couldn't overwhelm Paellito, but it was there.
What had blocked Paellito is a legacy left by a mage who had raised his name long ago.
Chenmi's Flash cannon. Jin had quelled the backflow, and had suddenly casted the Flash cannon in front of Paellito.
Paellito raised his demonic energy, as if in disbelief, and confirmed Jin's position. Jin stood in front of Hedo, who was exposed to the Flash cannon.
"Are you trying to gum me to death, Jin Runcandel?"
Jin steeled himself, ready to face the Sword Demon without shadow force, without lightning energy, and without his sword.
"Paellito. I am not just a human swordsman; I am a magic swordsman of the Runcandel clan. So, if we're going by your words, this would indeed be my teeth, not my gums."
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